Nativity Scenes in Germany & Austria

The Krippe

Krippe, like “crèche” and “crib,” first meant the manger, then the whole scene. You’ll also see Weihnachtskrippe, “Christmas crib.”

How it differs from the Provençal tradition:

• Fewer figures, larger ones. There’s no busy village full of tradesmen. The focus is on the Holy Family and the shepherds.
• Wood, not clay. Carved figures, often in linden or Swiss stone pine, either painted or left as natural waxed wood.
• A mountain setting instead of a Mediterranean one: a chalet, a log stable, rocks, fir trees, snow. Our mountain nativity guide shows how to build one.
• Two styles coexist: the “Oriental” crib, set in the Holy Land with flat-roofed buildings, and the “Alpine” crib or Heimatkrippe (“homeland crib”), set in the local landscape. Builders have argued over which is better for a long time, and they still do.

An urban, Jesuit origin

Nativity scenes with figures reached German-speaking lands through churches, especially Jesuit schools, starting in the second half of the 1500s. A crib set up by the Jesuits in Prague in 1562 is often cited as one of the first on record north of the Alps.

From churches it spread to noble homes, and in the 1800s to ordinary families, much like the Provençal santon did, though at a different time and for different reasons. Under the same emperors, things went very differently in Bohemia, where a decree banned nativity scenes from churches: see the nativity in the Czech Republic.

Carved wood

This is the tradition’s great contribution to the craft.

• Linden (basswood) is the wood of choice. It’s soft and even-grained with few knots, so it carves cleanly in every direction.
• Figures may be painted or not. Plain waxed wood shows off the carving. It’s a popular choice, and it ages beautifully.
• Carving is done with gouges, starting from a rough block, with no mold. So every figure is one of a kind, which explains the prices and makes them very different from molded santons.
• Sizes are large: 4 to 12 inches is common, and bigger for church nativities.

The great regional schools

• Tyrol (Austria): one of the busiest centers, known for Alpine cribs and woodcarving.
• Val Gardena, in the German-speaking South Tyrol region of Italy: a world-famous woodcarving center whose nativity figures are sold all over Europe and North America.
• Bavaria: cribs at home and in church, plus the Krippenspiel, a Nativity play performed by children.
• Oberammergau, in Upper Bavaria: a village of woodcarvers, best known for its Passion Play.
• The Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains, Saxony): a special case. The region is famous for its wooden Christmas crafts, turned on a lathe or cut with a fretsaw: candle arches, Christmas pyramids and nutcrackers. They’re displayed alongside the nativity but aren’t part of it.

The builders’ clubs

As in Spain, German and Austrian nativity builders have formed clubs, called Krippenvereine or Krippenbauvereine. They offer building classes, group workshops, exhibitions and contests.

There’s hardly anything like this in the English-speaking world, where people mostly learn on their own, from family or from a craftsman. In the United States, the closest thing is the collectors’ group Friends of the Creche. The big advantage of a club is that techniques get shared and written down instead of staying in one workshop.

Austria takes it further than anyone: there’s a four-year course, an exam and an official title, Krippenbaumeister (master crib builder). That page also explains the craft’s technical terms.

Nativity trails

A Krippenweg (“crib trail”) is a marked walking route through a town or village that links nativity scenes in shop windows, chapels, courtyards and private homes. You follow it on foot with a map, often in the evening.

It’s a lovely idea worth borrowing: it turns private nativities into a neighborhood evening walk, without turning them into a show. Several Austrian and Bavarian towns hold one every winter, and it would work just as well in an American small town. For addresses, see where to see nativity scenes in Germany and in Austria. For crib markets, see nativity fairs in Germany and Austria.

The calendar

• Advent: the crib goes up, and many homes light a four-candle Advent wreath (a German custom that also took hold in America).
• December 6: Saint Nicholas Day, a children’s holiday separate from Christmas, as in Belgium.
• December 24, evening: Heiliger Abend (Christmas Eve) is the big night. That’s when presents are opened and Baby Jesus is laid in the crib.
• January 6: the Three Kings. In several regions, children dressed as Sternsinger (“star singers”) go door to door collecting for charity and chalk a blessing above each door.
• February 2: Candlemas ends the season, as elsewhere.