Candle arch winter barbecue hut

Light is life, it conveys warmth, hope and security. And so the tradition of putting up a candle arch in the window at Advent and Christmas time arose in the Ore Mountains, where it guides the way through the winter darkness with its warm light. Tradition has it that it once lit the way home for the miners of the Erzgebirge. In today's Advent season, this arch of lights welcomes all those across borders who are returning home from a busy Christmas shopping trip or office day, a contemplative walk or a family visit.

This candle arch from the Tietze workshop in the Ore Mountains offers an effective deviation from the traditional design: instead of stringing the candles on the top arch, it is illuminated indirectly - with the help of an LED strip mounted on the base, which makes the candle arch glow warm white from the inside. Solid beech wood ensures the stability of the base; the attached backdrop elements are precisely milled from light-colored, sturdy birch plywood and are exceptionally rich in detail. The clever, staggered arrangement of the elements creates an impressive depth effect of the wintry mountain village backdrop. Additional contrasts are created by the hand-applied airbrush shading - an inviting stage for the figures, which have been skillfully hand-turned from beech and maple wood and sanded smooth and are now enjoying sausage sandwiches and mulled wine at the bar table in front of the barbecue hut - maybe even a piece of sausage for the dog.

Thanks to its width of around 50 centimetres, the candle arch is large enough to stand out and yet fit into any interior. Whether you place it traditionally on the windowsill, atmospherically on the dresser in the living room or as a welcome light in the entrance area - here and there it creates a festive and cozy atmosphere.

On a side note: the name "Schwibbogen" (candle arch) refers to an architectural origin, the suspended arch. Since the middle of the 18th century, the candle arch has been part of the Advent and Christmas season in the Ore Mountains and at the same time takes up a mining tradition: During the last shift before Christmas, miners would hang their lighted miners' lamps on the wall in a semi-circle like the mouth of the mine.

The fact that a famous wood art developed in the originally densely forested Erzgebirge is not only explained by the availability of the material. As a branch of industry, handicrafts became all the more important as the local mining industry rapidly lost resources and profitability. Folk art slipped into this gap, which mining - no less than Christmas - still shaped with numerous motifs. A center of wood art emerged around Seiffen, where one of the first specialized trade schools was founded in 1853 to promote handicrafts. In the so-called Toy Corner, small and large craft businesses still produce the classics of the folk art of the Erzgebirge: from hoop animals and smoking men to miner figures and nutcrackers to candle arches and wing pyramids.