Having moved, downsized, and settled earlier this year into my new home,
it seemed a perfect time to find a fun new project to explore for the holidays. I've created these models by using Christmas Cards that I have saved through the years and some card stock.
These images are my version/interpretation of Putz Houses.
Putz Houses
Putz House — From Pennsylvania German putz; compare archaic German Putz (“ornament, decoration, finery”), putzen (“to clean; decorate”).
A little bit of history I found online
The putz tradition had its start in Central Europe, including Bohemia and Moravia which are now part of the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Because the Moravian’s were part of an older Protestant church, they were persecuted by other religious movements. When their numbers dwindled, due to a series of religious wars, they immigrated to America. Once they were here they founded Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve in 1742.
Celebrating Christmas was an important part of the Moravian culture. One tradition was the elaborately constructed Christmas scenes that portrayed the Christmas story or other religious themes. These scenes known as putzes have been traced to the late 1700’s in this country.
The original putzes started with family members, mostly the children, going out to the woods in late autumn to collect stones, moss, ferns, lichens and twigs. The large stones were used for mountains, small branches of cedar and pine for trees. In later years pieces of tinfoil were used to represent a waterfall; a mirror was used as a lake. All sorts of animals were added to bring the scene to life. There is no scale in a proper putz; a three inch tall cat can sit beside a two inch tall cow.
The Moravians were known for adding villages to their scenes. From the late 1700’s until the late 1800’s simple handmade and elaborate castles decorated the landscape. It wasn’t long before small, hand-carved people populated these villages. At the center of all the creation lay the creche, the hallmark of the traditional putz.
The Industrial Revolution was about to add new dimensions to the putz scene. The Germans were already masters of the glass Christmas ornaments and the American people couldn’t get enough of these sparkling treasures. They also started making little cardboard houses with hand-stamped doors and windows. The exterior walls were adorned with hand-painted flowers and bushes. The Erzgebirge region in Germany was famed for its toy building and America was hooked.
Gingerbread Man Putz house
Top One Percent Putz House
Postmaster Putz House
Church Putz
Snowman Putz House
Snowflake Putz House
