Vintage (Antique) Christmas Ornaments in Germany?

Posted by carol on 04/01/15 04:43 PM

Many of the most beautiful glass Christmas ornaments, pre-war, came from Germany. I collect these vintage glass ornaments and santas and wonder if there are any shops or markets in Germany that may sell them in August. I will be in Munich, Baden-Baden, Dresden and Berlin in August. (Also in Prague.) I plan to see the Christmas Museum in Rothberg and have found shops in the area for new ornaments made in the vintage style, but what I really want are the original old ornaments. I know that we Americans have taken the whole "Christmas" traditions and supersized them (America is the only place I know that celebrates "Black Friday" like it is a holiday!), so maybe vintage ornaments are not really a collectible in Germany. I would love to find old ornaments that maybe my Grandparents had in Germany before they came to the US.

Any ideas of shops or where to look would be appreciated.

Thanks VERY much!
Carol

Posted by Ms. Jo

Frankfurt, Germany

04/01/15 05:03 PM

9222 posts

I would just visit flea markets, antique markets, or antique stores. They will be in every city.

Posted by Martin

Germany

04/01/15 05:48 PM

868 posts

I plan to see the Christmas Museum in Rothberg and have found shops
in the area for new ornaments made in the vintage style, but what I
really want are the original old ornaments.

I guess you mean shops like Käthe Wohlfart. Most of the ornaments sold there are from the Ore mountains (Erzgebirge), which are to the south of Dresden. The glass baubles are from Lauscha in the Thuringian Forest. Many of the prewar ornaments were also made in Northern Bohemia, but this tradition ended with WW2 (and the expulsions).
I guess your best chance to find these old ornaments are antique shops in the Ore mountains. The problem here: these shops are spread all over the mountains, often in small towns and villages which are difficult to reach by public transport, and the owners usually don't speak English. But if you are really into these ornaments the Ore mountains are a MUST! There is a village, Seiffen, with nothing but Christmas shops, and in Annaberg-Buchholz you should visit the Factory of Dreams, a museum about the history of these ornaments.
I guess you would have to google for "antiquitäten erzgebirge", write the addresses of the shops down (or I give you a few), rent a car in Dresden for two days, and spend a night somewhere in the mountains. The Ore mountains are a faszinating place if you are into this, since these ornaments are deeply rooted in the local culture. The rest of Germany just adopted them.
BTW: old ornaments are often very simple and not always that beautiful.

Posted by Bill

San Diego

04/01/15 06:06 PM

552 posts

Nice post Martin. I was gonna say that I don't think the vintage baubles would be a captivatingly colorful as the Radko's we are used to today...

Posted by mchpp

Oberpfalz, Germany

04/02/15 04:37 PM

1389 posts

Not a shop to visit and you are always taking a chance, but www.ebay.de. You would have to enquirer if they will ship to the USA. Search for Weinachtskugeln (literally Christmas balls) under Antiquitäten & Kunst (antiques art). The ones you are looking for can be pricey when you find them. With IBAN and BIC now it may be easier to do a bank transfer from the USA to Germany. Some will take PayPal. You can search for Weihnachtsdeko too under Alle Kategorien. All kinds of stuff. For electric lights remember 220V does not work in the USA. For the Erzgebirge (old East area next to the Chechen boarder) search for Weihnacht Erzgebirge or Schwibbogen, or Raucherman or Weinachtspyramide or the town of Seiffen etc. You get the idea...