‘Smoking Man’ welcome to Saxony

Already the district of Saxony in the former East Germany has taken the lead in promoting the main city, Leipzig, where five World Cup matches will be played.

Serbia and Montenegro play Netherlands (Group "C") on June 11; Spain against Ukraine (Group "H") on June 14; France versus South Korea (Group "G") on June 18; Iran tackle Angola (Group "D") on June 21; and a second round Group Two match (Winner Group "C" vs Runner-up Group "D") on June 24.

Leipzig was the venue for the World Cup Finals Draw which was held on December 6 when the 32 teams in the competition held every four years were placed into groups and designated cities for the preliminary round of matches.

The officials of the Saxony State Ministry for Economic Affairs and Labour (Freistaat Sachsen) are also going out of their way to keep the media informed about their district including its history, culture, landmarks and customs.

In this regard Professor Dr Georg Milbradt, chief minister of Saxony has personally written to selected sports editors around the world officially extending an invitation to visit his city.

Dr Milbradt states that Leipzig is an ideal starting point for any excursion in Saxony.

"The beautiful Baroque city of Dresden, the picturesque Ore Mountains, the Elbe or Neisse rivers-these are just some of the many opportunities for enjoying some relaxation in the limited amount of free time you will have between matches," the top German official stated.

And to give a glimpse of what the region has to offer visitors, Dr Milbradt has sent a gift of a "Smoking Man" — one of Saxony’s traditional Christmas customs.

To mark the upcoming World Cup Finals, the beautifully carved figure is dressed in football gear.

Known in Saxony as Raucher-mannchen, the "Smoking Man" was first introduced by the inventive toymakers of the Erzgebirge district of Saxony.

It was during the 19th century they seized upon the increasing popularity of smoking and combined this with the sweet smell of incense.

In about 1850 the cradle of the Rauchermannchen was the village of Seiffen in the Erzgebirge. Today over a hundred different "Smoking Men" are produced there in the "Nutcracker House" which belongs to the long established toymaker family of Christian Ulbricht.

New designs are always being added to the catalogue and the footballer figure was created to commemorate the upcoming World Cup.

According to a handout on the popular German figures which now travel all over the world, they are based on the loveable local characters whom you would meet on the street, who were your friends or with whom you would often exchange a friendly word-just like real sportsmen would.

Leipzig also is of historical interest, as it was the city where the German Football Association was founded in 1900 and three years later the city’s team won the first German Championship.

Among the top sports persons to emerge from Saxony are German football team captain Michael Ballack, Katharina Witt (ice skater), Kristen Otto (swimmer) and Lars Riedel (discus thrower).