Seiffen/Erzgeb.: Toy-making tradition and Erzgebirge folk art

Seiffen/Erzgeb. combines a toy-making tradition and Erzgebirge folk art with insights into historical crafts. The Toy Museum and the Open-Air Museum each offer a different focus: one presents toy-making and folk-art traditions, while the other reconstructs historical workshops and houses and demonstrates a traditional technique for making wooden figures. Regional cuisine is also part of the cultural picture. This gives you several distinct themes to consider when planning your stay.

Toys and folk art at the museum

The Erzgebirge Toy Museum presents Seiffen toy-making and Erzgebirge folk-art traditions across three floors. The exhibition also includes a large, five-tier pyramid. The combination of a multi-storey display and this striking individual object highlights the museum’s two scales: traditions are the focus on the one hand, while a prominent object features within the exhibition on the other.

Across the wider Erzgebirgskreis travel region, Seiffen is considered the cradle of Erzgebirge folk art. This designation fits the Toy Museum’s cultural focus, while the Open-Air Museum turns attention to historical workshops and craft techniques. The two museums therefore offer different ways to explore toys, folk art and craftsmanship.

Historical workshops and tire turning

The Erzgebirge Open-Air Museum in Seiffen reconstructs historical workshops and houses. Visitors can learn about tire turning, a traditional technique for making small wooden figures. They can also work with wood themselves. The museum thus combines displays of historic workplaces and homes with an insight into a specific craft and an opportunity to work with the material.

The historic buildings and workshops in the Open-Air Museum date from the 19th and early 20th centuries. At its heart is the original, preserved Preißler turning workshop, powered by water, in Kurort Seiffen. It complements the reconstructed workshops with a preserved turning workshop and provides a tangible point of reference for historical craftsmanship. The two museum focuses are therefore distinct: the Toy Museum centers on traditions and the five-tier pyramid, while the Open-Air Museum focuses on historic buildings, workshops and tire turning.

Neinerlaa and regional tradition

Neinerlaa, also known as Neunerlei, is another part of Erzgebirge cultural life. This regional tradition associated with Seiffen is a Christmas meal consisting of nine meaningful dishes. Its connection with Christmas and its nine dishes set it apart from the museums: the focus here is on a festive meal and its symbolic meaning, while the museums explore toys, folk art and craft techniques. Food culture thus adds another dimension to Seiffen’s cultural themes without being equated with the museum displays.

In the wider Erzgebirgskreis

Beyond Seiffen, the Erzgebirgskreis also provides a cultural backdrop for your trip. The Ore Mountains/Krušnohoří Mining Region has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2019. This is another regional point of reference alongside Seiffen’s toy-making and folk-art traditions.

The Erzgebirgskreis has a signposted network of hiking trails spanning about 4,500 kilometers. Panorama trails around Schneeberg, Schwarzenberg and Zwönitz offer views of their historic town centers. One specific example is the Schwarzenberg Panorama Trail: a 13.8-kilometer circular hike along the heights around Schwarzenberg, with an indicated duration of about four hours and five minutes. The approximate duration and route length make this trail a more clearly defined regional hiking destination than the general network.

Another regional point of reference is Fichtelberg near Oberwiesenthal. At 1,215 meters, it is the highest mountain in Saxony. Together with the panorama trails, it shows that the wider Erzgebirgskreis offers a range of excursion and landscape themes. In this article, Seiffen itself is primarily associated with toys, folk art and historical craft traditions.

Discover more destinations: Mildenau, Ehrenfriedersdorf, Aue, Pockau, Jöhstadt, Deutschneudorf, Königswalde, Schönheide

Back to the wider travel overview: Erzgebirgskreis.