Krauss pyramid

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The Krauss pyramid (also Krauss pyramid ) is a large pyramid that is set up outdoors in the Saxon city ​​of Schwarzenberg at Christmas time . In the Ore Mountains as the region of origin of the present-day shape of the Christmas pyramid, it is the oldest preserved and still in operation free-range pyramid and therefore unique in the world.

Prehistory and construction

The Krauss pyramid at the Vor dem Untere Tor site (2009)

The industrialist, inventor and promoter of the Erzgebirge folk art, Friedrich Emil Krauss , had the idea for the building . His idea was to build a pyramid "... so big that you can put it outside, its sparkle of lights is reflected in the snow and ice of the landscape, thousands to the joy." In 1930 he had a model of the construction made and numerous model figures carved, which served as the basis for later construction. The model and figures can be seen in the permanent exhibition “Perla Castrum - A Castle Full of History” at Schwarzenberg Castle .

The construction of the pyramid frame, including the impeller, drive and lighting, began in 1933 as a joint effort by the Krausswerke workforce and was completed the following year. Almost all of the original figures were made by the Sachsenfeld toolmaker and hobby carver Paul Lang in 1933/1934 , the sheep and ibex come from Paul Winkler's workshop in Bermsgrün .

Construction and design

The pyramid frame is a metal rod / rod construction, with five floors and various decorations. The impeller with twenty blades pierced by stars has a diameter of 3.3 meters. It is over seven meters high and has a mass of 1.5 tons. Sacred and mining motifs are represented on the five floors. The bottom floor is fixed and carries the Christmas crib . The three wise men are shown below. In the late 1930s to 1945 two of the kings were replaced by German riders . This was due to the zeitgeist of the Germans at the time and was reversed at the end of the Third Reich . On the third floor, shepherds turn with their sheep and, above, miners in festive dress. The conclusion is formed by a flock of angels, above which four bronze bells are installed. When turning, these are struck by the pyramid wings, with the first four notes of the Christmas carol Silent Night, Holy Night sounding.

history

Due to its age but also in particular, the pyramid has a remarkable history:

It was shown to the public for the first time at the German nativity scene organized by Krauss from December 1 to 31, 1934 in Aue . In 1935 it was set up on the terrace of the Schwarzenberg Ratskeller. The following year she turned in the chancel of St. Georgen Church . At the Feierohmd show from November 28, 1937 to January 19, 1938, they were placed in front of today's Bertolt-Brecht-Gymnasium . At Christmas 1938 she spun on Prager Platz in Dresden until she found space at the intersection in front of the Krausswerke in 1939 . In 1940 it was moved to a workshop to protect it from the effects of war. At the end of the war it was dismantled into its individual parts behind the town hall. After expropriating Krauss, the city ​​council became the owner and loaned it to the Elbe city for the second time in 1946 for the 2nd Dresden Christmas fair. In 1948, materially weakened, they were set up again in Schwarzenberg at the Egermannbrücke / Bahnhofsstrasse location. The following year it was awarded to the Breitenbrunn community . After dismantling at the beginning of 1950, it was stored in the town hall and was no longer erected for the time being. Stored in this way, it was badly damaged by a flood in July 1954 and almost unusable. The figures fell apart.

The Schwarzenberg carver group repaired it according to the possibilities at the time, so that it could be set up on the Schwarzenberg market for the first time at Christmas time 1957. However, this only lasted until 1960, when it was severely damaged by a winter storm, with figures being torn from their anchorages. After the residents questioned its whereabouts, a culture commission dealt with the damaged pyramid. However, this wanted a redesign including new figures in new motifs. So the three wise men should give way to miners, workers and bismuth miners. Hans Brockhage's design was publicly displayed, but fell through with the residents. The fact that the redesign finally failed was due to the calculated costs for the production of the intended figures. For the reconstruction based on the old model, materials from factories were provided and countless unpaid hours worked. At the same time as the first design of the Totenstein rock as an oversized Christmas mountain , the pyramid was erected at the foot of the rock in 1964. - This was also the first long-term installation site.

It has been standing in front of the lower gate since 1996 The change of location also involved a renewal of the figures. The figures, which had been painted over several times over the years, were badly damaged and the original color was lost, whereupon Peter Paul Brockhage made true-to-original copies of all figures. The original figures have been preserved and are kept in the museum at Schwarzenberg Castle. Most recently, in 2009, the lighting and other electrical components were rewired by employees of Stadtwerke Schwarzenberg GmbH. In addition, the municipal utilities ensure the connection and commissioning of the pyramid and also provide lighting and sound for the annual pyramid pushing.

Web links

Commons : Krauss pyramid Schwarzenberg / Erzgeb.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c 80 years of Krausspyramid. The Schwarzenberg Krausspyramid is 80 years old . In: Large district town of Schwarzenberg Erzgebirge (ed.): Schwarzenberg Christmas time 2014 . ( Schwarzenberg.de [PDF; accessed on January 2, 2015] Event flyer of the large district town of Schwarzenberg).
  2. ↑ The Krausspyramid - pre-Christmas splendor. 75th anniversary . In: Large district town of Schwarzenberg Erzgebirge (Ed.): Info Schwarzenberg Christmas 2009 . S.  7 ( schwarzenberg.de [PDF; accessed on January 2, 2015] Calendar of events in the large district town of Schwarzenberg).
  3. ↑ Manuel Schramm: Consumption and regional identity in Saxony 1880-2000 The regionalization of consumer goods in the field of tension between nationalization and globalization . In: Günther Schulz (ed.): Quarterly journal for social and economic history : supplements . No. 164 . Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-515-08169-0 , pp. 168 ( books.google.de ).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f The Schwarzenberg pyramid . In :: eprosa - magazine of the Schwarzenberg public utilities . No.  04 , 2009, p. 6–7 ( stadtwerke-schwarzenberg.de [PDF; accessed on January 2, 2015]). stadtwerke-schwarzenberg.de ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stadtwerke-schwarzenberg.de
  5. ↑ Information  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from the broadcast of the mdr on December 8, 2010 to vote for the most beautiful @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mdr.de  
  6. ↑ a b c d The eventful history of the now 80-year-old Krauss pyramid . Free Press Online ; Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ Manuel Schramm: Consumption and Regional Identity in Saxony 1880–2000 ... p. 65 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 32 '18.4 "  N , 12 ° 47' 3.3"  E