The German Erzgebirge is a mountain range in Germany. Its size is about 100 miles in length and 30 miles width. It is situated in the eastern part of Germany close to the Czech border and beongs to the German state of Saxony. The city of Dresden is about 30 miles from the Erzgebirge and is one of the most popular cities in Germany.
The name Erzgebirge means "Ore Mountains. In the 17th and 18th century the Erzgebirge was one of the largest mining regions in Europe. Hundreds wonderful castles and palaces still today show how wealthy the Erzgebirge has been during that time. Today the Erzgebirge is primarly known for decorative items like nutcrackers, incense smokermen, Christmas pyramids and schwibbogen.
The region is very traditional is known all over the world for excellent handicrafts. The crafting roots go back more than 300 years to the miners in of the 17th century. Particularly the Erzgebirge Christmas traditions are very popular. German Nutcrackers, incense smokers, Christmas pyramids and light arches from the Erzgebirge can be found in many houses all over the world. The center of Erzgebirge craftsmanship is Seiffen which is a small town with a population of only 3000 people but during Christmas time attracts over 300,000 visitors each weekend. If you come to Germany then Seiffen and the Erzgebirge is definitely worth a visit.
The most famous Erzgebirge items are the nutcrackers. Most manufacturers and workshops in the Erzgebirge craft those wonderful collectibles and export them to over 100 countries around the world. The most famous workshops are Steinbach Marienberg, Christian Ulbricht, KWO, Richards Glässer and Muller Kleinkunst. Certain limited edition nutcrackers of those manufacturers are worth over 1000 USD.
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