Company history

Kathrin, Gunther & Steffen Ulbricht

Kathrin, Gunther & Steffen Ulbricht

The rich silver ore deposits not only gave the Ore Mountains their name but also provided an income for generations of miners, like the ancestors of the Ulbricht family. But when the ore ran out, new ideas and sources of income were needed. The former miners first became wood-carvers and wood-turners and finally entrepreneurs.

In 1928, Christian Ulbricht's father founded the company "Otto Ulbricht - Werkstätten für feine Holzarbeiten und Spielwaren ("Workshops for fine wooden crafts and toys").

His success was built on his entrepreneurial skills and a remarkable inventiveness. His award: A gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1937 for his designs of children's room clocks and a group of Kurrende singers.

The end of the company came with the Second World War and the subsequent expropriation by the communist government. Otto Ulbricht decided to flee to West Germany with his family. In the village of Lauingen on the Danube River he re-established his company.

After Germany was reunited in 1990, Christian Ulbricht bought back his father‘s original company in Seiffen. In 1997, the newly built company was inaugurated in ‘Oberheidelberger Straße’. When Christian Ulbricht took his well-deserved retirement, he placed the fate of the company in the hands of his two children, Ines and Gunther.

Since the retirement of Ines Ulbricht in 2022, the company has been managed by Gunther and his children Kathrin & Steffen.

With a lot of passion and diligence the family and their team create traditional wooden art that brings joy to grown-ups and children alike all over the world. And the spirit of Christmas is alive in every unique handmade item, now as then.

Ulbricht family

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