Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art (German: Erzgebirgische Volkskunst) is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. It encompasses the diverse forms of expression of the creative work beyond the classical or the modern arts, and in particular the production of figures, sculptures and paintings. In a broader sense, the people's poetry, literature, and the Ore Mountain songs are in itself the folk art. The Ore Mountains claim to be the largest, enclosed folk art area in Germany.^[1]

One of the more important aspects of the Ore Mountain folk art is the production of material products. The art's historical origin is closely linked to mining, which has been significant in shaping the development of the Ore Mountains since the 12th century. The economic downturn of the mining industry, or its widespread decline in the 19th century, encouraged the emergence of supplementary and replacement income, depending on local conditions. The motifs of this Ore Mountain wood art have a close connection to mining and the working and living environment of the miners, thus the logo of the craftsmen is a miner on a rocking horse. In addition to straw weaving and lace making, this included in particular the artistic woodworking that characterises and dominates the concept of Ore Mountain folk art.

Typical creations include Christmas decorations and products such as wooden miners' figures (Bergmannsfigur), Christmas angels (Weihnachtsengel), Reifendrehen figures of animals made by wood turning, smoking figures (Räuchermann), Christmas mountains (Weihnachtsberge) and Christmas pyramids (Flügelpyramiden), as well as candle arches (Schwibbogen), nutcrackers, and music boxes. Even today these are made entirely by hand, primarily in small craft businesses.

The centre for the manufacture of Ore Mountain folk art lies in the region around the village of Seiffen, which is also known as the Toy Corner (Spielzeugwinkel). Here most of the manufacturers have joined Dregeno, the association of woodcarvers, sculptors, wood and toy makers. One of the largest collections of folk art is at the Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen. In the neighbouring village of Neuhausen is the first nutcracker museum in Europe, which houses more than 5,000 examples, the largest collection of nutcrackers in the world.