"Who would come here in the middle of August anyway?" I asked myself almost mockingly on the way to the small town of Lauscha, hidden somewhere in the heart of the Thuringian Forest. With our Ford, we drove towards the land of Santa Claus, the place from where, according to old dusty proverbs, the first Christmas "bunka" originates. Yes, the very ones you put a few dozen on your Christmas tree every December.
"I understand that you buy decorations in December, but in the summer..." my monologue was interrupted by something on the side of the road. A giant Christmas tree. Decorated. From feet to head. An ornament of this color, and this one and a poinsettia on top. August?! Crazy!
Lausch it really is a fairy tale town. Houses as if from a miniature model of a city, Santa Claus dolls climbing through the windows and into the chimneys, flashing lights... and the hot summer sun.
The history of toy making on the so-called Spielzeugstrasse it is embedded in the lives of every individual. Everyone was or still is connected to them at one time or another. And by that I don't mean toys like lego, barbie and PS3. These are the ones toys, in which the already moving arms and legs represented a real little revolution. And if the baby still cried while you were washing it, it was almost extraterrestrial.
As I rummage through my memory, I remember my grandmother's shelves. And such toys. And my incomprehension why the hell anyone would want to play with this, if in the next door tobacconist they are selling a car to the tax office?!
It seems to me that today on it we are watching a little different. We value what is made by hand, we value effort, we value tradition. If we can, we'd rather pay a few euros more and support the sweat and blisters of the gentleman from the dusty workshop instead of huge corporations.
And yes, Christmas decorations from one of the boutique stores in Lauschi, although a little more expensive, they smile as a good choice for this year's holidays. But slowly. It's only August now.
Read the other parts of the travelogue:
#1 Toy road / #2 Toy road / #3 Toy road / #4 Toy road
