Käthe Wohlfahrt
Käthe Wohlfahrt is a company located in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which deals with topics around Christmas ( Erzgebirge folk art ).
Company Formation
The company's history began with a music box that had brought from their native Saxony with Stuttgart after the couple Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt. This Christmas utensil caught the attention of a friendly American family that was in 1963 in the house of Family Welfare for Christmas to visit. Therefore Wilhelm Wohlfahrt decided to give this a similar music box. He managed to raise a dealer, but wanted to sell only one set of 10 music boxes him, that was the Christmas already over. Welfare bought this and gave a copy to the friendly couple. The other he tried to sell them to other families of officers in the American barracks, but was detained by the military police for crimes of doorstep selling. On the recommendation of the officers welfare gave away because the other doses at a charity bazaar. This meant that the welfare began to become self-employed and offer an ever- wider range at the weekly markets with these products. In 1964, she eventually founded her own company in Herrenberg near Stuttgart. For the new company they chose the name of Käthe Wohlfahrt, as Wilhelm Wohlfahrt was still busy at this time for a manufacturer of computers.
Moving to Rothenburg
In 1977 the company moved from Herrenberg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber was. Here was the first specialty shop for Christmas items, " Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas Market " opened. To the range Erzgebirge Christmas music boxes also included a successor to the "Birth of Christ Music Box ", which had given her friends the welfare. In subsequent years, other Christmas stores were opened. The company has offices in Berlin, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Oberammergau, Garmisch -Partenkirchen, Heidelberg and Rüdesheim am Rhein. Moreover, in Riquewihr in France, in Bruges in Belgium and in Stillwater, Minnesota ( USA), shops. In addition, objects are operated at Christmas markets.
In the main shop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber are a Christmas museum and a Christmas exhibition. The range is all part of candles, baubles, to incense, cribs, and nutcrackers. The shop is open throughout the year.
In 1991 the company began under the name " The Christmas Workshop " to build their own product lines,. In 2011, also was added an own Christmas museum where the history of German Christmas is presented. With the death of Wilhelm Wohlfahrt 5 May 2001 took Harald Wohlfahrt, the son of the founder couple, the management. In 2014, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The company has a high level of awareness about the German speaking out. Especially the parent company in Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the goal of many tourists from Japan and the United States. In these countries, visits to Käthe Wohlfahrt be offered as part of Germany or Europe travel.