In addition to all the impressive church commissions and life-size statues, it were always the fine, detailed carved nativity figures that have been inspiring the people of Oberammergau for centuries. This true tradition of Bavarian craftsmanship is close to our family’s heart as well. Our very own nativity story is told like this:

It all started with Albl Josef’s wish to design his own nativity set. He was inspired by the artwork of the “Adoration of the Shepherds” by the famous baroque painter Gerrit van Honthorst. As in the painting, the central element of the newly created ALBL-Nativity is the portrayal of Mary with baby Jesus, in which she protectively spreads a white cloth around her newborn.

The biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, with its numerous protagonists and scenes, provides a rich source for ideas. Year after year Albl Josef carefully added more figures to the collection. An important guiding principle for carving, as well as for collecting figures of a nativity set, is to recreate the diverse stations of the Christmas story. In the tradition of how to set up a nativity set, the main event at the birthplace of Christ is always accompanied by various biblical sceneries. Classic motifs are, for example, the Annunciation to the shepherds, to whom an angel appeared to tell them the glad tidings. Another significant group of figures is, of course, the Three Wise Men (or: the Magi), who followed the star to the city of Bethlehem. But also the re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s search of shelter or their flight into Egypt, up to different stations from the life and suffering of Jesus, are often displayed as additional sceneries in larger nativity settings. However, every nativity scene only starts to come alive by a fascinating arrangement of its various characters. Above all, that involves placing the nativity figures in relation to each other. In a good composition well balanced spaces create calm and allow the viewer to better capture all the details. On the other hand, closely positioned figures and animals within a group, support the feeling of security and warmth. The much loved angel group of the ALBL-Nativity who gather around Mary and Baby Jesus in the manger are a wonderful example of this.

Every Christmas, a different arrangement of the individual little figures provides surprising new settings and overall appearances. Everyone finds, preferably through experimenting for themselves, their own new way of doing this and thereby discovers the perfect composition over the course of the years. For 25 years already, our collection of the ALBL-Nativity is growing and will be curated and refined by the next generations. Summarizing, it is this special idea behind collecting a nativity set that inspires us the most: It accompanies your family each Christmas for a lifetime and is lovingly taken care of and expanded. Finally, it becomes your own family tradition, which you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren.