• Erzgebirge-Palace

Nutcrackers have a romantic history. Wood turning on lathes can be traced back to the small German mining town of Seiffen, in the mountains of the Erzgebirge not far from the Czechoslovakian border. At one time this area was rich in gold, silver and other minerals, but in the early 1700s the deposits ran dry. It was then that wood turning, which before had been only a hobby, became a source of income. Records document the Ulbricht family as wood turners from this period.

Christian Ulbricht was born in Seiffen on February 15, 1933. His father, Otto, a professional wood turner who started his own business in 1928, built a new factory in 1934. After World War II, when the area became the East German Zone and private industry was taken out of the hands of individuals, Otto took his family across the border to the West where they resettled in the Bavarian town of Lauingen, near Augsburg. Once settled, with his Erzgebirge wood-turning traditions transplanted to Bavaria, Otto began again.

When Otto passed away in 1968, Christian, now in charge of the family enterprise, continued those time-honored traditions. In 1978 Christian expanded his thinking, and developed a new company which he named Holzkunst Christian Ulbricht.

In the early 1990s, when East and West re-unified and once again became one nation, Christian was thrilled to be able to bring back to the family the factory in Seiffen begun by his father so many years ago. Today, the company operates out of both locations.

In part, the development of Holzkunst Christian Ulbricht has been spurred by the American collector, who has been a great influence. All of the Ulbricht family - Christian, his wife Inge and their two children, Ines and Gunther - have traveled extensively in the and have met and talked with collectors. For this reason, many of the motifs produced today include those of particular interest to Americans, such as Santa Claus; characters from beloved ballets like "The Nutcracker Suite" as well as American inventors, and even Uncle Sam.

Christian himself takes great pride when he has designed a new nutcracker and it has taken shape for him on the lathe. This sample then becomes the reference for the workers who handcraft the finished pieces, using only the finest wood and materials.

Now well into its third generation, the Ulbricht family continues to produce highly sought-after products of the finest quality. In addition to an extensive line of various nutcrackers of many sizes, there are incense burners, music boxes, figurines, pyramids and ornaments geared for Christmas and Easter.

Traditions are very important to Holzkunst Christian Ulbricht. Not only those that strengthen ties to the land and to family, but also those that continue the traditions of excellence in production that date back 300 years.

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