WURM and LEYK
There are quite a few collectors who fall on the, for Germany so specific, half-timbered style houses. Well Germany itself has no less than two suppliers who have dedicated themselves to these houses.
The company Wurm from Cologne has been a supplier of varied decoration collections for spring, autumn and winter for more than 50 years. Founder of the company, Günter Wurm provides new products every year for the “China porcelain” houses series “The Romantic Road”. This collection consists almost exclusively of houses from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Traditionally, the porcelain houses can be lit with a tea light because in each house a tea light holder is produced. Modern collectors, however, are increasingly opting to provide the Wurm houses with electric lighting for example from Lemax, Luville, Dickensville or Department 56. The hole for the electricity in the Wurm houses is about the same size.
Also train lovers of I and 0 track, which is also known as LGB garden railroad, buy Wurm houses, because they fit very well and the material meets the standards. There is plenty of choice in the various categories; beautiful houses, figures and matching accessories.
Wurm himself writes about his houses:
The beautiful houses from the collection “Romantic Road”
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy they find a wealth of historic buildings, churches and houses with great tradition, culture and history when visiting these beautiful European countries. By choosing these striking buildings, Wurm uses this series of houses to bring architecture and building styles from decayed centuries into their diversity and architecture in their beautiful cities. Think of it as a love for the profession, as old houses and churches are rebuilt and restored with much love and care in the old style. These many historic cities that have been restored in the old tradition and beauty, and these cities have therefore become important attractions. Especially the Romantic Road is for many travelers a goal to visit. This led to the idea that inspired us to recreate these historic houses and churches in miniature form as an illuminated house as faithfully as possible. The illuminated houses are made of porcelain and hand-painted.
“With our work, which makes us very happy personally, we support the maintenance of renovation and maintenance of historic buildings”.
With the purchase of an illuminated miniature house from Wurm, they help to keep beautiful old houses for the future.
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It all started in 1983 with a pregnancy;
In the small town of Aichtal, south of Stuttgart, where the young family Leyk lived, there was a shortage of childcare facilities at that time. So when Ursula Leyk had a child, she decided to stay home and take care of her child herself. Ursula decided to make the toys for her young daughter herself. First she devised a cuddly doll of leftovers of dust (old t-shirts), after which she wanted to make some more “technical” toys. She made a tiny clay house and discovered that she had many possibilities with clay. This created the idea to make a larger, hollow house with open windows and doors, so that the baby (then 1 ½ years old) could put something in the house.
On a gloomy day, she thought that a tea light in the house could be very beautiful … So the first illuminated house was built. Both mother and child were happy with this. With clay, a rolling pin and a knife as a tool, Ursula Leyk then built more illuminated houses at the kitchen table and grew into a small village whose shimmering lighting through the small windows made the living room really cozy and cozy.
Some time later, Father Bernd Schulz-Leyk came home unharmed and was completely charmed by the romantic atmosphere that greeted him. He said that Ursula could produce and sell such a house in series. She accepted the challenge, bought a “Handbook for Teachers: learn how to work with clay” and learned the techniques form production, cutting molds, painting and glazing the houses.
The houses were baked in an oven from a ceramic shop in Tübingen. When Ursula completely mastered the technique, she bought her own hobby oven.
A year later she was at the Esslingen Christmas market and sold her first lighted houses, so successful that she was sold out two days before the end of the market! This was the
turning point that the hobby became a company: She started producing it seriously and went to other Christmas markets as well. Sindelfingen, Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart were the next stops.
The success was great and the company quickly reached their capacity limits. Without any hesitation, Bernd Schulz-Leyk stepped into the small company. Because the demand was constantly increasing, the Schwäbisches farm was soon too small. They found a larger space in 1986, on a convenient spot to live in the old presbytery with barn in Wörnitz, south of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
After five years, the parish barn was too small for production and they bought a piece of land in Rothenburg where they could build a modern production hall. From there, the Christmas markets were well supplied.
The terrain in Rothenburg with a gentle slope to the south was now the inspiration of Bernd Schulz-Leyk. He began to dream of a beautiful garden and special plants …… 6 years after he went on his way to realize his dreams, they became reality. Gradually he changed the area under the hall into an enchanting Asian water garden. Those who visit today in the Erlbacher Straße 108 can now look at the production of the illuminated houses and take a look in the garden. Officially, the lotus garden is only open on Saturdays. Then the coffee bar is open for all connoisseurs, to enjoy coffee with pastries, and in the meantime to enjoy the atmospheric Asian garden.
LEYK Lichthäuser GmbH – Georg-Ehnes-Platz 1 – 91637
Wörnitz
