Krýza's crèche () is a

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...

(crèche) created by Tomáš Krýza. It is a large mechanical construction, since 1998 mentioned in

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

as the largest mechanical nativity scene in the world.

Origin and description

Stocking-weaver Tomáš Krýza (1838–1918) was a burgher from

Jindřichův Hradec Jindřichův Hradec (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 21,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urb ...

(a town in today's

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

). He had worked on the crèche for over sixty years. The scene covers around 60 m² (length 17 m, size and height 2 m). It contains 1,389 figures of humans and animals, of which 133 are moveable. The material used was

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling and routing. It is composed of very small chips of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, portable p ...

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

and

fish glue Animal glue is an adhesive that is created by prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue in a process called Rendering (animal products), rendering. In addition to being used as an adhesive, it is used for coating and sizing, in decorative co ...

. The mechanical parts were originally powered manually. Now a single electric motor is used. The oldest part of the nativity scene depicts the

birth of Christ The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Matthew and Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Roman-controlled Judea, that his mother, Mary, was engaged to a man named J ...

. The

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

's themes and everyday life scenes in 19th century Bohemia inspired the rest.

Presentation

The crèche is now exhibited in the Jindřichův Hradec Museum. The region has a tradition of nativity scenes; the first written record comes from 1579. In 1936 the museum obtained two other large nativity scenes created by Emanuela and Bohdan Steinocher. These are placed next to the Krýza's crèche.

Gallery

KJ hrad.jpg, Castle KJ_kováři.jpg, Blacksmiths KJ_palác.jpg, Palace KJ_statek.jpg, Farm KJ_Střed.jpg, Centre KJ templ.jpg, Temple

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kryza's creche Nativity of Jesus in art Jindřichův Hradec District Tourist attractions in the South Bohemian Region

Origin and description

Presentation

Gallery

See also

References