Department 56 Alpine Village Series St. Nikolas Kirche 56170

The most beloved Christmas hymn is "Silent Night." It is sung around the world and has been translated to all but a few known languages. Like many great things, however, this wonderful song grew from very humble beginnings. In fact, the creator of the words, Father Josef Mohr died never knowing what a wonderful gift he and Franz Gruber had given to the world.

Along with Mohr and Gruber, the other key player in the story of "Silent Night" and the St. Nikolaus Kirche is the Salzach River. It was this river that caused the rust in the organ of the church. (To this day a popular notion states that hungry mice ate through the bellows of the organ.) It was also this river that later weakened the foundation of the church requiring that it be torn down.

The St. Nikolaus Kirche was located in Oberndorf, Austria about 10 miles northwest of Salzburg. Mohr, the assistant priest at this church, was out of favor with his superiors and was moved frequently. He would only spend two years here. But while at this church, he was confronted with the possibility of not having music for the Christmas Eve service because of the organ's condition. It was on that day that he wrote the words and asked Gruber, a school teacher who played the church organ for extra money, to compose the music on his guitar. That night in 1818 the two men and a choir sang the song. Once they made it through the service, the story ended-at least as far as they knew.

A few months later, an organ builder went to the church to repair the organ. While he was there the song was brought to his attention. He copied the song and sang it as he made his rounds repairing organs throughout the countryside. It was heard and admired by others, and in 1834 it was sung for the king of Prussia, though the name of the song had been changed to "Song from Heaven." Five years later, it made its way across the Atlantic to America.

No one knew who had written the song, though many claimed that it came directly from God. When Gruber claimed that he wrote it, he was scorned and ridiculed. Though he still possessed the original copy of the song, few believed that a "mere" teacher could have penned such music.

Mohr's fate was even more sad. Prior to his death in 1848 in Wagrain, Austria, he continued to be transferred, usually staying in one town for less than a year. He died a poor man, though befittingly on St. Nicholas' Day. In the thirty years that followed his writing the most famous Christmas hymn, he never heard it again or knew of its popularity.

The D56 St. Nikolaus Kirche is a tribute to a small church in a small town where two modest men gave a special gift to the world. The D56 piece has transcended villages with non-Alpine collectors placing it in their village. It has also transcended collecting with people buying it solely because it symbolizes a song that has meant much in their lives

The Heritage Village Collection, Alpine Village Series - Introduced December 1991 - Retired December 1999 - Lighted Buildings - Handpainted porcelain

The item has been tested and does work. The box has wear and markings on it. The bottom of the figurine is signed by C. Rudolph 1998

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