Weidemann in the land of incense cones.

The Erzgebirge [Ore Mountains] are the home of incense cones.

Mikro Paul has been operating the “Räucherkerzenland” [Incense Cone Land] in Crottendorf since 2017, where he would like to rehabilitate the tradition of making incense cones and develop it for tourism. It is a family attraction, which was built from the start with help from Weidemann. The history of incense cones is deeply connected to the history of the Ore Mountains and mining. In the first half of the 20th century, many families made incense cones by hand in order to improve their livelihood by selling them. This was the case with the Crottendorf resident Freya Graupner and her children too. In 1936, she applied for a business license to produce incense cones. After the company was nationalised in the 1970s, it went back into private hands in 1990 and has been able to constantly expand production since then.

In the early 2000s, Mirko Paul had the idea for Räucherkerzenland [Incense Cone Land] where tourists and locals could learn about the topic and the history. Still working in the production plant at this time, Mirko Paul was not able to convince the factory owner to make this investment. When he took over management in 2015, he was able to implement the project and in 2017 opened the Crottendorfer Räucherkerzenland in a former supermarket.

There from the start.

A Weidemann T4512 accompanied the construction project from the start. “The Weidemann was able to drive through the automatic sliding door of the supermarket during the renovation to remove the rubble”, explains Mirko Paul, “which was perfect for us”. After the renovation, the little telehandler then received many new tasks: Typical janitorial services, maintaining the green areas and transport work as well as winter service. With an open space of over 20,000 m², the T4512 however did reach its limits and so the businessman looked around for a new solution.

He found what he was looking for from Weidemann again and reached an agreement with Frank Süß from Weidemann distribution partner Arneuba on the purchase of a larger T5522 with the 30 km/h option. The new telehandler is even more versatile. For example, it transports potting soil, firewood and other materials and helps with the constantly new construction measures that make Räucherkerzenland into an always-evolving attraction. In addition, the Weidemann was equipped with a mulcher, which helps it to easily do its work on steep slopes. In the winter, the large parking lot also needs to be cleared of snow, because at an elevation of 650 m above sea level, tremendous amounts of snow are to be expected in the middle of incense cone season.

Räucherkerzenland – an attraction for the whole family.

Today, Räucherkerzenland includes a large sales room, an incense cone museum, event rooms, a café and a children's playground. The facility is open year-round and, in addition to the seasonally adjusted sale of incense cones and regional products, also offers the opportunity to make your own incense cones. “The workshops are always booked up”, says Mirko Paul. Travel groups from all across Germany come to “get their hands dirty” in Crottendorf and have fun. “As 100 years ago, we still use only controlled ingredients today, such as charcoal, potato flour, sandalwood, etc.”. The do-it-yourself crafters can choose from 35 to 40 scents, but the Christmas scents are still the most popular. At the end of the workshop, everyone can proudly take home their homemade incense cones.