Viking drinking horn

To become Vicky the Viking or Sir Lancelot and wander through the woods, wearing a sword or carrying a hatchet, lying in wait with a bow and arrow in the castle’s lookout – the stuff of children's dreams – realised in the "medieval armoury" of Dominic Vah. The wood processing company, based in Dollnstein in Upper Bavaria, manufactures weapons and shields made of wood, which are characterised by their careful workmanship and historical accuracy: Vikings, Celts, Romans, Knights Templar all make children’s hearts beat faster. Dominic Vah, who took over his parents company in the early 1980s, has made it his mission to transport children back in time and to the middle ages. Lancelot, after all, needs a protective helmet as well as a sword and shield. And so it is that the master joiner and his staff also develop the appropriate headgear, drinking horns or felt sheaths, to complete the outfits, alongside their wooden weapons. The material comes from other specialist companies, with the products then conceived, processed and finalised in Dollnstein.

Dominic Vah is not just committed to using exclusively local raw materials in his woodworking "armoury", he also makes sure his toys are ecologically sound as well as safe and healthy to use. Enthusiasm for woodcraft has been in his genes from birth: since he was able to observe the development of his parents' business from childhood on, it should come as no surprise that he finally decided to become a carpenter. Something you notice about Dominic Vah when you meet him is his passion for what he does. He still tries as often as possible to get involved in the production side of the business, he says, even though this is increasingly difficult with the ever-larger number of sales-related tasks before him. Quality is the number one priority for the master carpenter. He places a great deal of trust in his employees, and the atmosphere around Vah is very familially. For Dominic Vah, a good product depends on a diligent research; he explains: "Its about finding a middle ground between three questions: 'How is the toy made?', 'How close is it to history?', and 'What do children think of it?'" To clarify the last question, Dominic Vah has a reliable group of test subjects at home: namely, his own children.

The “armoury”, based on an observation by Albert Vah, was established when his son, its current owner, was still wearing short pants. In 1977, Dominic Vah’s father was invited as a lantern maker to the first Castle Festival in Neuburg an der Donau, where he recognised an urgent need for knightly toys. The idea would not leave him and his wife Amalia alone – and in 1980 they presented a selection of products for the first time at the Kaltenberg Knights’ Games. The increasing popularity of medieval festivals favoured the expansion of the wood processing company. In 2002, the youngest son, Dominic Vah, then in his mid-twenties, took over the business. Two reasons made it easy for him to choose the company: his enthusiasm for the craft and the firm conviction that it is a duty worth carrying out to pass on family traditions.

Not suitable for children under 3 years. Risk of suffocation due to small parts that can be swallowed.