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More about Schwibbögen 

All arches, except tree-shaped arches, now have LED lighting.

During the Christmas season, windows throughout the Saxony area of Germany are lit with the soft lights of Schwibbögen, or Christmas arches. These traditional displays reach back over 270 years to the silver mines of the Erzgebirge in Germany, and the first Schwibbögen, made out of wrought iron, are thought to have originated in the town of Johanngeorgenstadt.

The oldest existing wrought iron Schwibbogen is in Johanngeorgenstadt (1778)

 

After miners finished a long, hard day in the
mines, they would hang their lanterns at
the mine entrance. The twinkling lights
formed a glittering arch, and these lantern
arches are thought to have been the
inspiration for Schwibbögen.

The largest Schwibbogen in the world in the church in Johanngeorgenstadt 

 


Schwibbögen were especially popular during the Christmas season. Christmas was the only time in the year when the hard and dangerous work in the mines came to a rest. Wives put the Schwibbögen in their cottage windows and lit the candles to welcome their husbands home after a hard day in the mines. The twinkling lights in the windows guided the miners as they trudged through darkness and snow, and welcomed them to the warmth and security of their homes and families.

During the Christmas season, large Schwib-
bögen are also set up in the public squares
and churches in the Erzgebirge.

Home craftsmen soon began to work with
wood because of its natural beauty and
warmth. The making of Schwibbögen
quickly became an important source
of income throughout the Erzgebirge.
Schwibbögen were carved in homes and decorated with candles. Today, the candles are often replaced with tiny electric lights.

Schwebebogen and a modern wood Doppelschwibbogen

 


The name Schwibbogen also seems to
have an architectural meaning. During the
Gothic age a freestanding arch between
two supporting walls was called a
Schwebebogen.

Schwibbögen Bring Christmas
Tradition into your Home

Schwibbögen are part of the woodcarving
tradition of the Erzgebirge region, and
nowadays the Schwibbögen, just as the
nutcracker and the Christmas pyramid,
have become known worldwide as symbols of Christmas folk art.

Doppelschwibbögen (Double Arches)

Over the years Schwibbögen have taken on numerous shapes and sizes. They appear
with exquisitely carved figures and designs, whose beauty is enhanced with electric
lights or candles. A recent development is the creation of Doppelschwibbögen, or
double arches. With indirect electric lighting, the design silhouette is brought into the
foreground with a fascinating play of light. The Doppelschwibbögen you see here are
made by hand in a small, family-owned factory in the Saxony region of Germany.
This small factory rejects mass production, and every piece is handcut. The electric
lights are also added by hand.

No laser, water stream, or computer-controlled technology is used. Each Schwibbogen is
accompanied by a label guaranteeing that it is handcrafted.

A craftsman cuts
the arches by hand

Adding the electric lights

Christmas Designs

Doppelschwibbögen come in a variety of Christmas designs -- everything from Christmas market scenes to sledders to whimsical snowmen.


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Doppelschwibbögen are also available as Christmas tree designs.


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A Schwibbogen will light your home with all the warmth and joy
of the Christmas season.