From our German Collectibles Weihnachtsmarkt collection, are hand-carved and painted using the Woodturning technique. It's made in the Erzgebirge region in Germany.
During the 18th century in the Erzgebirge region, this area of Germany was a thriving mining community. For centuries the Erzgebirge mines produced everything from silver to tin to even uranium. Miners who worked far below the surface of the earth for most of the day used to make their own handmade German pyramids to take with them into the mines. These simple versions of the traditional German pyramids were usually made of several sticks tied together in a bunch and placed at the top of a simple pyramid shaped base with several candles sitting at the bottom. The miners called their German pyramids "light racks" or "light stocks" and they brought them into the mines with them to make sure that there was enough fresh air inside the mines because candles will not burn properly without a fair amount of oxygen. They were also a simple reminder of the warmth and light that waited for them outside the mines.
Little movement was involved in these early versions of the German Spinner pyramid, but over time they became more animated and complex in their designs. The miners were constantly improving upon the earlier designs by adding new parts to their German pyramids and removing unnecessary ones. They added wooden rods to hold the sticks up top in order to spin, then a solid dish at the bottom to hold the candles. The slatted wood fan design was eventually developed allowing the heat from the candles to spin the German pyramids around more easily. Over time, the miners began decorating their own German pyramids with beautiful hand carved wooden figurines. These decorative German pyramids then left the confines of the darkened mines below the earth and began being used during Christmas celebrations inside the homes of the miners.
