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Every Gnome Needs a Home

“’Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know,’ Harry told Ron as they crossed the lawn. ‘Yeah, I’ve seen those things they think they are gnomes,’ said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, ‘like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods . . .’” J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Gnomes, Gartenzwerg, first appeared long, long ago in European folklore as benevolent creatures who lived underground as guardians of treasure, mines and the like. They were believed to reward the good behaviour of farmers (Bauer), merchants and housewives (Hausfrau) with assistance in fields, shops and gardens (Garten) at night.

However, one source claims gnomes to have been first mentioned by 16th-century Paracelsus (Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim to you), 1493-1541, born Einsiedeln, Switzerland, an alchemist and physician, who travelled widely Europe and Middle East, eventually settling in Salzburg.

Although generally recognized as bringing good luck to homes and gardens, a recent book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino ($16.99 in Canada) claims to be the only comprehensive guide to warding off an imminent home invasion and how to defend yourself when the lawn warriors strike. In fact, according to author Rowling, gnomes are indeed pests that inhabit the gardens of witches and wizards.

Perhaps, in the early years of the 19th century, potters in Graefienroda, Thuringia, East Germany, commenced creating terra cotta gnomes for decoration but these also found use for superstitious purposes to ward off thieves and swindlers (Betrüger). However their exact date of origin, Das ist ein ratsel: It is a puzzle.

Two separate potteries operated by Phillip Griebel and August Heissner, are often said to have commenced production in the mid-19th century. Yet Sir Charles Isham imported them into England as early as 1842 – he wanted to liven up his rock garden with a little colour and decided that garden gnomes were the best way to do so.

The Griebel descendants continue to manufacture high-quality gnomes, pausing only during World War II. Made of terra cotta, slip-cast in moulds, dried, fired, painted, and traditionally less than 14-inches tall, they eventually became a leading export from East Germany. Pretty, decorative, colourful, but disposable or in a single word, Kitsch, nevertheless there are today an estimated 2.5 million garden gnomes in Germany. The number of gnomes worldwide is set to increase by 1.4 million this summer, a report has predicted.

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To really appreciate all that Vienna has to offer we would highly recommend car hire, as the cost of getting taxis etc would probably work out more expensive in the long run, when you take into account the cost of transfers from the airport etc. You can collect your car hire in Vienna from the following locations:

Vienna Train Station, Vienna Railwaystation West , Felberstrasse, Vienna. , Austria

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