Seiffen

Seiffen
Municipality
Location of Seiffen within Erzgebirgskreis district <imagemap>File: Seiffen-Erzgeb. in ERZ.png | 240x240px poly 0 127 50 129 168 88 168 1 0 1 Saxony poly 156 151 142 143 149 131 153 129 153 124 158 136 167 138 176 150 Amtsberg poly 160 232 157 222 173 220 170 204 158 206 150 203 144 215 151 218 150 226 Annaberg-Buchholz poly 51 198 58 204 55 210 58 215 62 219 74 220 81 212 76 207 72 207 73 196 70 191 66 195 61 190 54 192 Aue-Bad Schlema poly 130 175 136 163 128 159 119 164 Auerbach poly 164 265 168 247 166 240 160 244 Bärenstein poly 84 222 94 218 89 210 78 210 Lauter-Bernsbach poly 71 254 76 248 67 223 52 236 58 252 Bockau poly 186 162 201 161 198 139 190 130 187 141 194 145 Börnichen poly 123 289 126 281 115 263 104 262 93 249 85 245 67 255 73 272 80 277 103 274 110 274 Breitenbrunn poly 114 154 120 151 138 147 150 146 151 137 137 130 143 138 134 143 119 141 Burkhardtsdorf poly 127 265 140 255 146 242 149 234 140 230 136 232 126 248 126 262 124 271 133 269 139 260 Crottendorf poly 286 201 295 190 295 186 286 193 279 193 275 191 279 199 Deutschneudorf poly 153 186 169 175 168 160 174 154 176 151 153 151 150 161 154 165 148 177 Drebach poly 138 195 156 189 156 185 151 175 140 179 129 180 Ehrenfriedersdorf poly 59 289 39 288 16 270 16 266 25 257 34 249 37 239 41 238 47 245 57 242 60 248 67 246 69 267 59 270 56 274 56 280 Eibenstock poly 116 230 127 215 144 214 146 204 120 203 118 196 111 198 109 210 107 227 Elterlein poly 136 165 144 159 149 159 155 152 145 148 134 147 126 152 Gelenau poly 132 196 141 193 126 183 119 187 115 197 121 203 131 203 Geyer poly 166 139 175 127 182 129 184 125 166 110 162 122 156 132 Gornau poly 133 161 122 149 116 151 120 163 Gornsdorf poly 170 178 191 166 186 156 177 148 174 153 179 163 168 167 Großolbersdorf poly 198 196 197 187 193 177 175 190 175 202 185 208 191 209 193 202 201 196 Großrückerswalde poly 109 231 110 219 107 212 108 199 101 207 90 207 94 217 89 222 96 225 95 230 Grünhain-Beierfeld poly 181 122 180 131 184 135 193 134 200 137 202 133 210 133 210 138 220 132 221 125 204 123 197 129 190 128 189 121 Grünhainichen poly 267 180 262 174 262 164 274 164 276 167 278 179 Heidersdorf poly 61 145 71 141 67 134 53 138 Hohndorf poly 114 153 116 144 113 132 112 134 112 126 98 120 98 120 87 137 99 137 Jahnsdorf poly 69 297 85 277 72 270 55 273 54 284 Johanngeorgenstadt poly 178 251 193 244 209 246 206 234 213 229 209 214 202 216 197 227 183 223 178 232 Jöhstadt poly 177 249 177 226 169 219 161 223 162 241 Königswalde poly 79 241 83 232 86 221 83 215 76 219 65 218 73 243 Lauter-Bernsbach poly 93 206 85 190 99 179 96 179 78 187 67 189 77 199 70 204 83 212 Lößnitz poly 75 143 78 149 91 142 92 137 96 124 92 122 86 130 82 127 75 131 77 138 Lugau poly 210 248 205 239 212 232 208 217 201 219 197 211 190 202 198 202 202 196 190 183 195 171 200 164 210 160 210 169 221 176 222 169 226 164 232 167 232 174 241 183 235 185 227 188 226 200 228 205 238 204 240 200 249 201 247 205 250 213 243 215 239 210 228 207 220 221 222 227 217 238 Marienberg poly 196 226 199 219 192 208 183 204 172 200 172 203 168 219 180 230 185 220 Mildenau poly 122 142 132 138 117 129 124 124 116 119 113 116 95 122 110 122 111 134 Neukirchen poly 109 158 111 148 106 137 92 135 91 151 Niederdorf poly 84 161 91 152 90 144 80 150 Niederwürschnitz poly 140 291 154 284 161 276 162 266 137 270 131 271 122 266 114 271 131 278 127 281 Oberwiesenthal poly 76 167 87 157 78 146 68 143 58 149 52 152 Oelsnitz poly 226 203 226 192 236 187 240 183 234 171 235 161 242 160 243 154 235 143 242 140 246 142 258 137 260 141 258 145 260 151 270 164 263 169 266 178 268 183 263 183 264 191 261 197 251 202 243 199 236 204 Olbernhau poly 225 125 223 134 214 139 196 136 201 147 200 159 190 165 194 173 204 162 213 162 213 169 218 176 227 162 234 160 243 157 237 144 229 139 233 130 Pockau-Lengefeld poly 124 269 123 252 126 242 122 227 114 226 96 234 107 251 113 251 119 269 Raschau-Markersbach poly 131 247 137 241 131 229 129 218 122 226 Scheibenberg poly 128 236 137 231 152 226 147 220 151 202 141 206 139 217 131 218 Schlettau poly 45 223 56 212 55 202 51 199 38 201 32 216 Schneeberg poly 12 266 6 260 4 251 4 245 20 245 32 237 35 237 34 245 27 257 Schönheide poly 112 264 98 255 84 246 75 254 68 259 70 249 76 249 75 241 83 238 81 233 83 223 86 225 90 234 96 230 102 230 105 250 113 258 Schwarzenberg poly 138 278 145 268 163 268 162 241 158 232 155 228 146 230 142 247 138 263 131 269 Sehmatal poly 288 196 295 182 280 174 278 183 Seiffen poly 95 177 93 166 108 161 105 149 99 152 87 152 77 164 75 166 70 182 74 190 Stollberg poly 28 243 9 247 6 240 18 235 25 227 33 230 43 226 45 238 Stützengrün poly 144 208 149 201 145 194 128 201 Tannenberg poly 110 169 121 163 120 152 111 149 103 156 Thalheim poly 167 207 176 198 174 191 162 191 159 184 152 189 142 193 152 206 Thermalbad Wiesenbad poly 124 182 138 167 151 158 155 166 145 175 141 181 Thum poly 174 189 185 183 194 172 192 164 177 172 168 177 160 186 170 191 Wolkenstein poly 174 154 167 138 170 135 182 132 187 138 194 147 185 153 179 146 Zschopau poly 46 240 68 225 63 213 43 223 Zschorlau poly 106 204 117 190 120 180 111 168 108 160 95 163 93 187 86 191 93 203 95 203 95 207 Zwönitz desc bottom-right </imagemap>
Seiffen Seiffen
Coordinates: 50°38′54″N 13°27′08″E
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Erzgebirgskreis
Municipal assoc.	Seiffen/Erzgeb.
Subdivisions	2
Government
• Mayor (2020–27)	Martin Wittig
Area
• Total	12.43 km2 (4.80 sq mi)
Elevation	650 m (2,130 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	2,027
• Density	160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	09548
Dialling codes	037362
Vehicle registration	ERZ, ANA, ASZ, AU, MAB, MEK, STL, SZB, ZP
Website	seiffen.de

Seiffen is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in the central south of Saxony in Germany.

Seiffen nestles in the heart of the Ore Mountains, which are famous for many Christmas traditions. As the silver and tin deposits declined, former miners had to look for new ways to feed their families. In addition to lace making and weaving, the local population turned to wood carving. Nutcrackers, "smoking men", Christmas pyramids (carousels with figures of the Christmas story or from mining) and Schwibbögen (wooden candle arches, displayed in windows, symbolising the opening of a mine) are some of many Christmas goods made in the Ore Mountains. Seiffen is a centre of the wooden toy industry.

History

The history of Seiffen started when miners opened up the district 700 years ago. The earliest record of the town dates to 1324 when it was referred to as "Cynsifen". With the recession of ore mining in the area, Seiffen turned to wooden toy manufacture as a matter of economic survival. In 1699, Seiffen resident Johann Friedrich Hiemann took Seiffen toys to market at Nuremberg. Nuremberg was a toy distribution market for much of Europe at that time. Seiffen was able to break into this large toy market thanks to two factors. First, the low cost of living and economic depression in the Ore Mountains allowed prices much lower than the rest of European toy manufacturers selling at the Nuremberg market. Second, the high quality of toys being produced in Seiffen.

Technological developments

A major new line in toy manufacturing, which began in the Ore Mountains, was the production of wooden toys on wood lathes using a method known as Reifendrehen. This method, usually used for making wooden animals, allowed for greater accuracy and quality in much less time than it took to hand carve the entire piece. In 1890, an export tax was changed from being based on value, to weight. This meant that wooden toys were now much more expensive to buy anywhere but the German state of Saxony. Undaunted, the Seiffen toy makers developed the Miniature in a Matchbox. This ornament sized toy was very small, so it could be exported cheaply. It also used many parts and is very detailed. The Ore Mountain Toy Museum is an internationally known toy museum that displays a large collection of typical Ore Mountain wooden toys and similar items.

Notable people

• Auguste Müller (1847–1930), carver

Gallery

• 
  Seiffen Church
• 
  Panorama
• 
  Toy museum
• 
  Typical house

See also

• Ore Mountain folk art

External links

• (in German)
• Seiffen Toy Museum (in German)
• German Toy Town – article
• Webcam portal with various town views and weather images of Seiffen (in German)