Seiffen: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 53 - 80 Panorama Berghotel Wettiner Höhe
 This 4-star hotel overlooks the spa resort of Seiffen. It offers free on-site parking and beautiful panoramic views of the Erzgebirge nature park.
Al… MoreEUR 50 - 82 Pension Bergmannschänke
 Only a short walk from the centre of the pretty town of Seiffen, this guesthouse is a very conveniently located yet tranquil place to stay.
Let you… MoreEUR 45 - 70 Nussknackerbaude
 In the town of Seiffen in the Ore Mountains - home of the nutcrackers and the wooden ”smoking men” incense burners - you find the Hotel Nu… MoreEUR 52 - 94 Landhotel zu Heidelberg
 Located in Seiffen in the scenic Ore Mountains, the Landhotel zu Heidelberg offers individually furnished rooms, free Wi-Fi, and a modern spa.
The tr… MoreEUR 40 - 94 Hotel Berghof
 Set at an altitude of 800 metres, in the picturesque Ore Mountains, this family-run, 3-star hotel in Seiffen offers a hearty, free breakfast buffet to… MoreEUR 34 - 135 Hotel Erbgericht Buntes Haus
 Boasting a history spanning 500 years, this established hotel is conveniently located in Seiffen town centre right next to the world-famous church and… MoreEUR 53 - 76 Flair Hotel Seiffener Hof
 Here you can relax and recover from your excursions and hikes in the Erz mountains and feel like home.
Private factory!
Manufacture an… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seiffen: Guide
The town of Seiffen (Pronounced 'zeefen') is located in the district of Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis, which is is the south-center of the Saxony|Free State of Saxony in Germany. The earliest record of the town is from 1324 when it was referred to as "Cynsifen".
Seiffen sits in the heart of the Ore Mountains|Erzgebirge, or 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 inhabitants went into wood carving. Nutcrackers, "smoking men", "pyramids" (carousels with figures of the Christmas story or from mining) and Schwibbogen (wooden arcs with candles in the 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. 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 due to two factors. First, the low cost of living and economic depression in the Erzgebirge 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 deveolpment in toy manufacturing got it's start in the Erzgebirge, and came in the form of the Hoop Turning or Gap Ring. This method, usually used for maiking 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.
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Seiffen". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.