Whatever kind of Christmas decorations come to mind, you’re sure to find them at Käthe Wohlfahrt. This German-born Christmas shop is based in Barcelona and is open all year round! You can also check out our private tours in Barcelona here!
For more than half a century, the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop has been bringing smiles, making dreams come true and filling homes around the world with joy. This German company, which was born in 1964 in Bavaria, has branches in Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, and from November 2019 also in Barcelona.
Käthe Wohlfahrt
If there is a reference for Christmas decoration, it is Käthe Wohlfahrt. And we couldn’t resist the temptation to enter this magical world where Christmas lasts all year round.
Käthe Wohlfahrt Barcelona is located in the heart of the Gothic Quarter (Banys Nous, 15), a few steps from Las Ramblas, in a historic building whose interiors have been carefully restored to house a fantasy world where every detail matters.
Arches of light, nutcracker dolls, incense burners, music boxes, nativity figures, candles, Christmas trees, table decorations, ornaments of all kinds… all the Christmas items of the highest quality you can imagine are concentrated in a magical world that you will fall in love with as soon as you enter.
THE MUSIC BOX THAT STARTED IT ALL
Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt, the founders of the company, wanted to give their family of American friends a toy box like theirs for Christmas 1963.
However, when Wilhelm went looking for another one after Christmas, it was very difficult to find one, as all the shops had already put away their Christmas merchandise. He finally found one at a wholesaler, who would only sell it to him if he bought at least ten copies.
Wilhelm Wohlfahrt gave the box to his American friends and went from house to house selling the other nine until the police arrested him because door-to-door selling was forbidden.
But the holiday magic worked, and the policemen were also fascinated by the boxes, so they asked Wilhelm to sell them to the American officers’ wives at charity bazaars.
So Wilhelm and Käthe went from bazaar to bazaar until, in 1964, they decided to set up their own business in Stuttgart. In 1990, their son Harald took over the company from Käthe Wohlfahrt and continued the family business.
DREAM WORKSHOP
The Käthe Wohlfahrt studio is located in Rothenburg, Germany, and its interior is a veritable fantasy factory where artists and craftsmen work on the company’s exclusive products.
Their inspiration? Traditional toy making and nature. The masterpieces that emerge from the studio are the result of meticulous work, in which the quality of the materials (wood, glass, tin), the fine hand-painting and the attention to detail are impressive.
In addition to the objects made in the studio, Käthe Wohlfahrt also sells Kindertraum figurines in limited and certified editions in her shops, which will delight collectors.
¡HEY BARCELONA!
Käthe Wohlfahrt has chosen Barcelona to open its first shop in Spain and spreads its Christmas spirit from this cosy corner of the Gothic Quarter.
The so-called “Christmas village” has 300 square metres and is divided into several rooms of different styles, where you can find all kinds of decorations for the season, with its emblematic products divided by type.
“The characteristic feature of the “Christmas Village” in Barcelona is the large Christmas tree, which is 4.50 metres high up to the ceiling of the shop. It is free-standing and can be seen both on the ground floor and from the gallery,” explains Käthe Wohlfahrt.
The tree is decorated with 1,250 glass ornaments that catch the eye of every visitor who enters the shop.
There are also a number of objects created especially for the place: Gaudí’s design, the characteristic yellow and black taxi, the traditional “caganer” and the Virgin of Montserrat.
