Just as it was generations ago, parts of a German Nutcracker are carefully turned on a lathe, put together and lovingly painted. When the miners of the Erzgebirge began losing their jobs as a result of discovery of tin and silver in the New World, they turned to the production of Nutcrackers as a source of work. Today, Nutcrackers are an essential part of German Christmas.
The most famous Nutcracker today is probably the nutcracker king in Tchaikwosky’s “Nutcracker Suite”. True to traditions of Erzgebirge the Nutcracker represents the king of all toys that can come awake in the children’s playroom. The Nutcrackers are modelled on the ruling classes, the Kings, Soldiers and Officers, their authority expressed in proud energetic faces.