Company
Christmas is traditionally the highest celebration of the family. On Christmas Eve all generations come together to gather under the Christmas tree.

Only the highest quality will do justice to this special occasion.

“As a family business, we are best able to unite tradition and modernity by passing on our values, and on this basis we are able to shape the future.”

Helmut Schmidt, Managing Partner of Weihnachtsland GmbH
Tradition & History
In 1990, Helmut Schmidt took over Süddeutsche Benda Christbaumschmuck GmbH & Co. KG of his father-in-law Carl-Günther von Schlenk-Barnsdorf and has been running the family business under the new name Weihnachtsland GmbH since 1992.

This was preceded by the mergers of the traditional companies Höfler GmbH and Süddeutsche Benda Christbaumschmuck GmbH & Co. KG, both from the Nuremberg area. 

At that time, the companies were already among the oldest in the industry. 

Höfler GmbH was originally founded in 1919 as Höfler & Cie. 

The South German company Benda Christbaumschmuck GmbH & Co. KG was a merger of the companies Süddeutsche Christbaumschmuck, a subsidiary of Carl Schlenk AG and Georg Benda.  

Through the acquisition of further companies, Weihnachtsland GmbH became a manufacturer of garlands in the 1990s and, after the turn of the millennium, a producer of machine-made glass balls.  

At its peak, Weihnachtsland GmbH employed over 250 people and produced over 30 million baubles a year, which were sold all over the world. 

With the foundation of Weihnachtsland Far East Ltd. in Hong Kong in 1992, the internationalization of the family-owned company began to take off. 

Ever since then, customers from all over the world have had the possibility of direct import from China for almost 30 years. 

In 2004, Weihnachtsland GmbH was expanded by taking over the renowned Christborn GmbH, which has since then been the world's most exclusive and high-quality manufacturer of mouth-blown and hand-painted glass Christmas tree decorations. 

Shortly before the financial crisis, the company reacted to the imminent global changes in 2007 and separated from the machine production of the glass baubles in Germany. 

Since then, the company has been concentrating exclusively on the production of high-quality mouth-blown baubles and ornaments of the brands Christborn®, Oberfränkische Glas® and SERENO®

In 2016 the fifth generation, Ferdinand von Schlenk-Barnsdorf-Schmidt, joined the family business. 

He initially took over the acquisition and integration of Oberfränkische Glas & Design GmbH into Weihnachtsland GmbH.
Our Vision
Our vision is to continue enriching Christmas as the highest celebration of the family with our products of excellent craftsmanship and sophisticated design.

We pursue the long-term goal to remain the leading supplier of highest quality Christmas decorations in the future.

With our unconditional quality standards, we want to create values that will last for generations.
Our Mission
In order to meet our high quality standards, we have committed ourselves to maintaining a cultural and historical tradition of German craftsmanship.

We keep sticking to our principles to keep making Christmas decorations exclusively from mouth-blown and hand-painted glass.
Our Values
The following values and virtues are at all times the focus of our business activities in order to meet our high standards both as a family and as family entrepreneurs.

The highest quality is our unconditional claim and extends not only to our Christmas decorations, but to all areas of our business activities.

Our (financial) independence and our strong sense of tradition determine every operative and strategic business decision.

Despite our long-lasting history and tradition, we are characterized by a high degree of innovation.

Only in this way can we meet our demand for the highest quality and unique design.

As a family business, we have been a highly reliable and trustworthy partner for over 100 years.

Weihnachtsland GmbH is among the last German manufacturers of mouth-blown and hand-painted glass Christmas tree decorations in family ownership.

With an equity ratio of 100%, we are completely independent from external investors and banks.

Due to this independence we are able to enrich the Christmas celebration of our customers in the long run with highest quality Christmas decorations.

It is the heart of our business activities and is the guarantee for continuity and stability – already for over 100 years and four generations. 

In an age of industrial and mechanical production, our glassblowers and painters preserve a long-lasting craftsmanship in an increasingly digital future.

As innovative pioneers, we give old traditions new splendour by translating current trends into fashionable and modern collections.

Even though we cultivate the art of traditional craftsmanship in our German manufactory, all supporting procedures and processes are always up to date thanks to new digital technologies.

In this way, we have been able to grow from a product-oriented to a customer and experience-oriented company over the past few years. 

Our products are valuable pieces of jewellery that preserve their high emotional value not only for years, but for generations to come.

The proud owners and collectors of our precious works of art pass them on as irreplaceable heirlooms over generations.

In this way, our designs outlive fast fashion trends and are considered as an expression of contemporary beauty – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

As a family and a family business, we guarantee not only the highest quality of our products, but also a reliable service that meets the highest demands of our customers all over the world.

We rely on a unique network of carefully selected specialist dealers, partners and business partners that has been built up over many years and generations.