The Families Behind the Forest
Three workshops, three visions, one shared devotion to the Erzgebirge craft tradition. We visit them every year — and every year, we leave inspired.
The Hobler Family
We are Romy, Dirk, and Karl-Gustav Hobler. Romy works as a ceramic artist and is bursting with creative ideas. Dirk studied at the renowned Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design and worked for many years as a designer for various companies. Together we share a love of creativity — and it is from this passion that all our series of figures are born.
Our son Karl-Gustav, who with his keen eye and fresh ideas, is already leaving his very own mark on the family business. For over two decades, our distinctive figures have been created in our small manufactory — driven by the desire to bring joy and place a smile in people's hearts.
Whether snowmen, little devils, angels, bunnies, bears, or gnomes — a genuine Hobler figure can be recognized by the silver heart it carries in its left foot. It is our trademark and a symbol of all the love that goes into every figure from the very first sketch to the final touch.
“Made by hand, made with heart — made by us!”
Björn Köhler
Since the foundation of his manufactory in 1989, the first cautious beginnings have been transformed into a collection of his own — young, unconventional and modern, modest in its unadorned appearance and yet wonderfully poetic.
Over the past years, this has become a beautiful success story, which is mainly caused by the fact that Köhler has remained a manufactory in the best sense of the word. The figurative compositions are still predominantly created by hand, with a keen sense for the special, by concentrated people working passionately and imaginatively in high-quality craftsmanship.
For these reasons, they achieve the unmistakable impression of their little favorite pieces — which you can see with your eyes and feel in your hand.
“Touchingly beautiful things from wood. Since 1989. Handmade in Germany.”
Blank Kunsthandwerk
2025 marks a very special year for Blank Kunsthandwerk. The characteristic pleated-skirt angels have been created for 70 years in the Grünhainichen workshops — in detailed handwork and with an experienced feel for figures that create memories.
The exclusive pleated-skirt angels with Preciosa crystals show how closely craftsmanship, traditions, and stories in the Erzgebirge are interwoven. The Blank family has defined the golden standard of angel figurines for decades — their trademarked design is recognized the world over.
From concert angels with miniature instruments to guardian angels given as heartfelt gifts, each figure carries the quiet certainty of seven decades of unbroken craft tradition.
300 Years of Erzgebirge Craft
In March 2025, Erzgebirge woodcraft was added to Germany's nationwide list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Around 250 businesses and nearly 2,000 employees continue to create candle arches, pyramids, nutcrackers, and figurines by hand — exported to the USA, Japan, and across Europe. The craft carries a mandate: to keep this cultural heritage alive for the next 300 years.