CHRISTMAS FROM GERMANY - Key Persons
A music box that the founding couple Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt brought from their Saxonian homeland to Stuttgart laid the foundation for the company Käthe Wohlfahrt. The music box was of particular fascination for an American officer's family, who were friends of the Wohlfahrt family and who had visited them for Christmas celebrations in 1963. After the Holidays, Wilhelm thought to himself that a music box would be exactly the right present for his American friends and so he went looking for a similar music box. Unfortunately, all the shops had already put their Christmas goods back into storage and it wasn't until February that he found a wholesaler who was still selling music boxes. The catch, however, was that Wilhelm had to buy at least ten of them! He decided to buy all ten, and gave a music box to his American friends, who were extremely happy with their post-Christmas present. At their suggestion, Wilhelm went from house to house in the American barracks to sell the other nine music boxes. He was successful at first until the military police took him into custody, because door-to-door selling was not allowed. His good fortune was that the military policemen also liked the music boxes and recommended to him to sell them to the American officer's wives at the charity bazaars. From then on, Wilhelm and Käthe were at every weekend bazaar, with a gradually expanding range of products. And then in 1964, they finally dared to make the leap into independence.
In the years before the dawn of the 20th century, the night watchman was one of many citizens of Rothenburg responsible for the safety of the inhabitants of this walled, fortified city. His job was dangerous, because he had to guard the city at night like a policeman. The people that he met on the streets were the drunks and the thieves. To protect himself and to show his authority he carried an intimidating weapon called a hellebarde.
The night watchman made his rounds from nine in the evening until three in the morning, relying on the town hall clock to tell him when to sing his "Hour Song," which reminded the people who slumbered safe in their houses that he was still alive and taking care of them.
The night watchman's horn, carried on a chain around his neck, warned the citizens of fire--the worst possible disaster that could strike a city in the days before fire hydrants. Keeping watch over the streets of the inner city, lighting the lanterns and announcing the hours in the still of the night were the duties of Rothenburg's night watchman. There were six of these men patrolling the city up to the year 1920. Today, the Night Watchman still appears at dusk in front of the Town Hall, on Market Square to guide the town's visitors through the romantic alleys and pathways sharing stories of Rothenburg's past.
Wilhelm Wohlfahrt died on 5th May 2001 at the age of 72. His family and employees, and also the friends and loyal customers of the company Käthe Wohlfahrt, will treasure his memory. To date the family company has been managed by Harald Wohlfahrt, the son of the founding couple. The Wohlfahrt family and the employees of the company celebrated the 55th anniversary of the company in 2019!