Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village, Rothenburg
Käthe Wohlfahrt Weihnachtsdorf49°23′ N 10°11′ E
The Weihnachtsdorf suits anyone who wants to shop for Christmas in July, and the company calls its range on Herrngasse the largest year-round selection in Germany. The museum upstairs charges its own entry and has no step-free access.
Käthe Wohlfahrt has been in Rothenburg since 1977, and its main shop at Herrngasse 1 dresses more than 1,000 m² as a snowy half-timbered village. A white tree six metres tall stands in the middle of it, hung with ornaments from the range. The company lists over 25,000 decorations and gifts here, from Erzgebirge classics to pieces its in-house studio designs. It opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00, and that includes Sundays.
Across the lane at Herrngasse 2 is the Christkindlmarkt shop, which was the company's first year-round shop and now concentrates on Erzgebirge folk art such as candle arches and turned pyramids. It keeps shorter hours and opens at 11:00 on Sundays. A stair inside the Weihnachtsdorf leads up to the German Christmas Museum, which has its own page on this site.
Worth knowing
- Cross to the Christkindlmarkt shop at Herrngasse 2 if you're after Erzgebirge woodwork and want advice at the counter.
- The company's small shop by the Plönlein at Untere Schmiedgasse 19 shuts on Sundays.
Quick answers about Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village, Rothenburg
Is Käthe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg open all year?
Yes. The Weihnachtsdorf at Herrngasse 1 opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00, according to the company's store page. That page lists no separate hours for 24 to 26 December, so ring +49 9861 409150 before a visit that week.
Where is the German Christmas Museum in Rothenburg?
The museum is upstairs in the same building at Herrngasse 1, and you reach it by a stair inside the Käthe Wohlfahrt shop. It charges separate entry.