The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen is an internationally known museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 of Ore Mountain toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

s and Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. Typical creations include Christmas decorations and products such as wooden miners' figures , Christmas angels , Reifendrehen figures of animals made by wood turning, Räuchermann figures and Christmas...

. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen. In 1973 it was joined by the Ore Mountains Open-Air Museum (Erzgebirgische Freilichtmuseum), a folk art and local historic museum with 14 houses typical of the Ore Mountains before 1900 on the edge of the toy village.

History

The history of the toy museum began with the Seiffen Wooden Toy and Merchandise Exhibition (Holzspielwaren- und Holzwaren-Ausstellung Seiffen) that took place from 9 July to 3 August 1914 in the Albert Salon. For an entry fee of 50 pfennig

Pfennig

The Pfennig , plural Pfennige, is an old German coin or note, which existed from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002....

s – 25 pfennigs for children – visitors were fascinated, for example, by a Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...

 with 300 animals, chess pieces, products of the reifendrehen woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 craft that was only carried out in Seiffen at the time by a compulsory guild

Guild

A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

 (Zwangsinnung), as well as larger animal figures, that were cut out of posts. On show were products of Runddreherei, a form of woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 and ornate carvings, as well as straw-covered objects, which were actually not part of the business, but were made at the request of the leader.

The exhibition was organised by a priest, Hermann Härtel (b 30 September 1864 in Lichtenstein; d 7 August 1919 in Seiffen/Sa.) together with the district trade association which he had been chairman of for many years. Härtel enhanced the exhibition with a part of his parish collection.

In a room that had been furnished in the manner of an old Ore Mountain parlour were displayed a painted four-poster bed (1764), a huge chest (1734), a chest with a lid painted on the inside (1785), a colourful wardrobe covered with flowers (1798), a giant farmer's table with a tabletop of valuable wood, stone items, guild tankards, glasses and other household items. On the table stood a might clay pitcher (1739), a tin lamp (Gockel-Lampe) and an open family bible. The whole was completed by a wood-shaving candlestick (Spanleuchter) with wooden shavings. After a tour visitors could buy a "miniature farmhouse room with a stove in a matchbox" at the counter.
On 5 December 1920 the newly created toy museum was opened in the State Trade Training School (Staatliche Fachgewerbeschule). The collection of "Older and Newer Playthings" acquired since 1914 by its founder, Oberstudienrat Professor Alwin Seifert (1873–1937) was enhanced by the Härtel Collection. For the 19144 trade show a farmhouse parlour was put together, along with a tiled stove (Kachelofen) and a fireside bench. A candelabra that hung over the table (made by Louis Strauß and restored today) gave the parlour the usual Christmas time decoration. Neither were Christmas angels, miners, nutcrackers or Räuchermännel missing. The exhibition also included interesting old and new toys and demonstration lessons from the training school. At that time it was the only toy museum in Saxony.

At the beginning of the 1930s there were attempts in the Seiffen region to create a central industrial exhibition. The then State Toy School took over the design and displays of the Seiffen Toy Show (Spielzeug-Werbeschau Seiffen) opened in 1936.

On 5 July 1953 the house was opened again as the Local History and Toy Museum (Heimat- und Spielzeugmuseum) and finally renamed into the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen (Erzgebirgisches Spielzeugmuseum Seiffen). The first visitor to the museum was Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger was a German choral conductor and composer.-Professional career:...

, whose Dresdner Kreuzchor

Dresdner Kreuzchor

The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden. It has a seven century history. Today the choir has about 150 members from the age of 9-19 from Dresden and the surrounding region. Most of the boys live in a boarding school. The Choir Boys are also called "Kruzianer". The...

 choir had sung that evening in the Seiffen Pinge (a manmade depression caused by subsidence in which there is today an open-air theatre). In 1999 the toy museum underwent extensive rebuilding and extension. Today, on three storeys, there are around 5,000 exhibits as well as a great deal of background information.

The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen is an internationally known museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 of Ore Mountain toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

s and Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. Typical creations include Christmas decorations and products such as wooden miners' figures , Christmas angels , Reifendrehen figures of animals made by wood turning, Räuchermann figures and Christmas...

. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen. In 1973 it was joined by the Ore Mountains Open-Air Museum (Erzgebirgische Freilichtmuseum), a folk art and local historic museum with 14 houses typical of the Ore Mountains before 1900 on the edge of the toy village.

History

The history of the toy museum began with the Seiffen Wooden Toy and Merchandise Exhibition (Holzspielwaren- und Holzwaren-Ausstellung Seiffen) that took place from 9 July to 3 August 1914 in the Albert Salon. For an entry fee of 50 pfennig

Pfennig

The Pfennig , plural Pfennige, is an old German coin or note, which existed from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002....

s – 25 pfennigs for children – visitors were fascinated, for example, by a Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...

 with 300 animals, chess pieces, products of the reifendrehen woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 craft that was only carried out in Seiffen at the time by a compulsory guild

Guild

A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

 (Zwangsinnung), as well as larger animal figures, that were cut out of posts. On show were products of Runddreherei, a form of woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 and ornate carvings, as well as straw-covered objects, which were actually not part of the business, but were made at the request of the leader.

The exhibition was organised by a priest, Hermann Härtel (b 30 September 1864 in Lichtenstein; d 7 August 1919 in Seiffen/Sa.) together with the district trade association which he had been chairman of for many years. Härtel enhanced the exhibition with a part of his parish collection.

In a room that had been furnished in the manner of an old Ore Mountain parlour were displayed a painted four-poster bed (1764), a huge chest (1734), a chest with a lid painted on the inside (1785), a colourful wardrobe covered with flowers (1798), a giant farmer's table with a tabletop of valuable wood, stone items, guild tankards, glasses and other household items. On the table stood a might clay pitcher (1739), a tin lamp (Gockel-Lampe) and an open family bible. The whole was completed by a wood-shaving candlestick (Spanleuchter) with wooden shavings. After a tour visitors could buy a "miniature farmhouse room with a stove in a matchbox" at the counter.
On 5 December 1920 the newly created toy museum was opened in the State Trade Training School (Staatliche Fachgewerbeschule). The collection of "Older and Newer Playthings" acquired since 1914 by its founder, Oberstudienrat Professor Alwin Seifert (1873–1937) was enhanced by the Härtel Collection. For the 19144 trade show a farmhouse parlour was put together, along with a tiled stove (Kachelofen) and a fireside bench. A candelabra that hung over the table (made by Louis Strauß and restored today) gave the parlour the usual Christmas time decoration. Neither were Christmas angels, miners, nutcrackers or Räuchermännel missing. The exhibition also included interesting old and new toys and demonstration lessons from the training school. At that time it was the only toy museum in Saxony.

At the beginning of the 1930s there were attempts in the Seiffen region to create a central industrial exhibition. The then State Toy School took over the design and displays of the Seiffen Toy Show (Spielzeug-Werbeschau Seiffen) opened in 1936.

On 5 July 1953 the house was opened again as the Local History and Toy Museum (Heimat- und Spielzeugmuseum) and finally renamed into the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen (Erzgebirgisches Spielzeugmuseum Seiffen). The first visitor to the museum was Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger was a German choral conductor and composer.-Professional career:...

, whose Dresdner Kreuzchor

Dresdner Kreuzchor

The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden. It has a seven century history. Today the choir has about 150 members from the age of 9-19 from Dresden and the surrounding region. Most of the boys live in a boarding school. The Choir Boys are also called "Kruzianer". The...

 choir had sung that evening in the Seiffen Pinge (a manmade depression caused by subsidence in which there is today an open-air theatre). In 1999 the toy museum underwent extensive rebuilding and extension. Today, on three storeys, there are around 5,000 exhibits as well as a great deal of background information.

The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen is an internationally known museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 of Ore Mountain toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

s and Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art

Ore Mountain folk art is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. Typical creations include Christmas decorations and products such as wooden miners' figures , Christmas angels , Reifendrehen figures of animals made by wood turning, Räuchermann figures and Christmas...

. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen. In 1973 it was joined by the Ore Mountains Open-Air Museum (Erzgebirgische Freilichtmuseum), a folk art and local historic museum with 14 houses typical of the Ore Mountains before 1900 on the edge of the toy village.

History

The history of the toy museum began with the Seiffen Wooden Toy and Merchandise Exhibition (Holzspielwaren- und Holzwaren-Ausstellung Seiffen) that took place from 9 July to 3 August 1914 in the Albert Salon. For an entry fee of 50 pfennig

Pfennig

The Pfennig , plural Pfennige, is an old German coin or note, which existed from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002....

s – 25 pfennigs for children – visitors were fascinated, for example, by a Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...

 with 300 animals, chess pieces, products of the reifendrehen woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 craft that was only carried out in Seiffen at the time by a compulsory guild

Guild

A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

 (Zwangsinnung), as well as larger animal figures, that were cut out of posts. On show were products of Runddreherei, a form of woodturning

Woodturning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...

 and ornate carvings, as well as straw-covered objects, which were actually not part of the business, but were made at the request of the leader.

The exhibition was organised by a priest, Hermann Härtel (b 30 September 1864 in Lichtenstein; d 7 August 1919 in Seiffen/Sa.) together with the district trade association which he had been chairman of for many years. Härtel enhanced the exhibition with a part of his parish collection.

In a room that had been furnished in the manner of an old Ore Mountain parlour were displayed a painted four-poster bed (1764), a huge chest (1734), a chest with a lid painted on the inside (1785), a colourful wardrobe covered with flowers (1798), a giant farmer's table with a tabletop of valuable wood, stone items, guild tankards, glasses and other household items. On the table stood a might clay pitcher (1739), a tin lamp (Gockel-Lampe) and an open family bible. The whole was completed by a wood-shaving candlestick (Spanleuchter) with wooden shavings. After a tour visitors could buy a "miniature farmhouse room with a stove in a matchbox" at the counter.
On 5 December 1920 the newly created toy museum was opened in the State Trade Training School (Staatliche Fachgewerbeschule). The collection of "Older and Newer Playthings" acquired since 1914 by its founder, Oberstudienrat Professor Alwin Seifert (1873–1937) was enhanced by the Härtel Collection. For the 19144 trade show a farmhouse parlour was put together, along with a tiled stove (Kachelofen) and a fireside bench. A candelabra that hung over the table (made by Louis Strauß and restored today) gave the parlour the usual Christmas time decoration. Neither were Christmas angels, miners, nutcrackers or Räuchermännel missing. The exhibition also included interesting old and new toys and demonstration lessons from the training school. At that time it was the only toy museum in Saxony.

At the beginning of the 1930s there were attempts in the Seiffen region to create a central industrial exhibition. The then State Toy School took over the design and displays of the Seiffen Toy Show (Spielzeug-Werbeschau Seiffen) opened in 1936.

On 5 July 1953 the house was opened again as the Local History and Toy Museum (Heimat- und Spielzeugmuseum) and finally renamed into the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen (Erzgebirgisches Spielzeugmuseum Seiffen). The first visitor to the museum was Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger

Rudolf Mauersberger was a German choral conductor and composer.-Professional career:...

, whose Dresdner Kreuzchor

Dresdner Kreuzchor

The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden. It has a seven century history. Today the choir has about 150 members from the age of 9-19 from Dresden and the surrounding region. Most of the boys live in a boarding school. The Choir Boys are also called "Kruzianer". The...

 choir had sung that evening in the Seiffen Pinge (a manmade depression caused by subsidence in which there is today an open-air theatre). In 1999 the toy museum underwent extensive rebuilding and extension. Today, on three storeys, there are around 5,000 exhibits as well as a great deal of background information.