Loved by some, hated by others, they are a cult for some and the ruin of garden culture for others. Yet garden gnomes are remarkable companions with a long tradition. Especially the ones made of clay...
The history of the clay garden gnome begins in Gräfenroda, Thuringia, 50 kilometers south of Erfurt. In the mid-19th century, Gräfenroda was home to numerous clay and porcelain factories, including the Griebel manufactory, which still exists today.
Griebel Gnomes:
In 1874, Philipp Griebel, a modeler of animal heads, founded his own company. His specialty was animal heads made of clay, which he crafted to order and then cast. Realistic depictions of pets also saw the light of day in his workshop.
His figures quickly found fans all over the world. Later, fairy tale figures such as Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf expanded the range, and then the first gnomes took the stage. At first, however, the gnomes had nothing to do with gardens.
The Griebel manufactory produces garden gnomes, now in their 4th generation. Up to 5,000 are produced every year. Mostly in different variants, in small series, but also individually according to the customers' wishes. And the demand is great! No wonder it is said that there are about 20 million gnomes in German gardens.
The Long Road to the Garden Gnome:
It takes ten days to make a gnome out of clay. In the water mill, the basic mixture of water and clay, the so-called "slip", is mixed in the first step. This is poured into a two-part plaster mold. Then you have to wait for 15 minutes. During this time, the porous plaster absorbs some of the moisture and the mixture forms a 4 mm thick skin inside the mold. After four hours, you can carefully free the gnome. The expert calls this demolding. After that, the blank needs a rest and must dry slowly so that it does not crack. Then you remove the mold seams and straighten the edges.
After that, the blank is dried again for two days. Then the gnomes set off for a warm night. In order for the gnomes to withstand wind and weather later, the pores of their skin, i.e. the pores of the clay, must compact. And that is exactly what happens in the kiln. There they are held at 1000 degrees for several hours. During this process, they become slightly smaller and take on a delicate pink color.
As soon as the gnomes have cooled down, they are handed back to the painters. With the right paint, they provide the individual appearance and complexion of the little creatures. For this, they use facade paint. This does not wash off as quickly and serves as additional protection against the penetration of moisture. As soon as the gnome is dry, it can begin its journey through the world.
Clay or Plastic:
For an expert, it is very important to know whether the gnomes are made of clay or plastic. Plastic gnomes are disparagingly called "un-smudged", while traditional clay gnomes are considered "smudged". And purists actually only accept male specimens.
Our Tip for Gnome Owners:
Do not place the gnomes directly on clay soil. Because clay absorbs water and could burst when frozen. In addition, the clay gnome is slightly more sensitive than its plastic counterpart and prefers to spend the winter in the warmth. If you pay attention to its requirements, you will enjoy the company of these traditional garden inhabitants for a long time.
The Tradition of Having Garden Gnomes:
Garden gnomes are said to be of Germanic origin and not Greco-Egyptian, as some historians believe.
Even though their exact origin is unclear, they are said to represent pygmies who worked in the mines of Cappadocia. The miners who had to dig underground tunnels were originally mainly small-statured beings, as the narrow tunnels could only be entered by small men.
They were very quickly revered, as they mined precious metals in the mines and made jewelry and objects that were soon attributed with supernatural powers. Thus they soon became a symbol of occult powers, so that the mine operators decided to make figurines with their likeness to drive away the curse that these beings carried.
The figurines were immediately successful when they were exported: The phenomenon of the garden gnome was born! Even though the garden gnome has no official Germanic origin, the figurine as we know it today is of German origin, especially since its industrial ceramic production began in Gräfenroda in Thuringia and then spread to the Rhineland, Alsace, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and even Switzerland.
Garden Gnomes in Politics:
As a counterpart to the classic garden gnomes, more and more unconventional variants have emerged since the 1990s. These include, among others, the so-called "political" gnomes. They usually depict (former) government members such as Gerhard Schröder or Gregor Gysi and are often available in rather unofficial poses. For those of you who find the classic version too overwhelming, this could be a funny alternative.
Their popularity in the German-speaking countries has never waned, except perhaps during the Nazi era, because they did not meet the standard of the pure race as understood by Nazi ideology, and during the communist era in former East Germany because of their bourgeois tendencies, which apparently did not align with communist ideology.
The Imitation of Gnomes:
Even though mass production has moved from Germany to Southeast Asia, China, and the Czech Republic, the phenomenon has spread worldwide. In France, Canada, America, and other countries, the garden gnome is so popular that its total population is estimated at 35 million and it reproduces annually at a rate of 4 million.
Garden Gnomes for Leisure and Hobbies:
After a hard day's work, the garden gnome also enjoys his well-deserved evening off: He does this, for example, in the company of chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and others. He lovingly carries them in his arms or watches them in their enclosures and cages outdoors. But the barbecue trend has now reached the garden gnome as well: Meat and vegetables are prepared together on the kettle's grill to end the evening cozily.