The Krkonose Fairytale Nativity Scene in the Palace Park

Going through the gate to the palace park in Vrchlabi, you will see carved figurines, animals and a little house in which a crib is displayed with two newborn babies, John and Mary. Ance and Kuba, the parents, stand around the cradle, together with the Three Magi. If you look carefully, you will also see the local landlord, Trautenberg, musicians and Krakonos, the master of the mountains.

Come and enjoy the beauty of human skills, natural materials from which this nativity scene was made, and the peaceful atmosphere of the scene. The Krkonose fairytale nativity scene was carved in 8 months by Pavel Tryzna, a member of the REZBARI K 106 carver’s group. Pavel Tryzna began carving when he was 53. He started with a simple carpenter’s saw, which limited what he could produce.

He had already been thinking of making the Krkonose fairytale nativity scene for some years, but could only start in April 2015 after a lucky coincidence. He met a man who was interested in carving, and the Krkonose nativity scene was also mentioned in their talk. So Roman Fischer, the other man, offered Pavel Tryzna the use of his company’s premises in Vrchlabi, giving him enough space, tools and shelter to make this work. This is how Pavel Tryzna was able to start making it.

A 2016 Interview by Vladimir Jindra, of the Strelnice culture centre in Vrchlabi, with Pavel Tryzna, giving details of the work

(interview from 2016)

How many people worked on the Krkonose fairytale nativity scene, and who was there to help?

The concept, number of figurines, their appearance, character, mood and the shape of the small wooden building are all based on my vision. The one who helped most was my patron, Roman Fischer, by letting me use his company’s yard and the wooden shelter for free, providing equipment, wood, producing the cross-shaped stabilisation steel pieces under each figurine, and much more.

Great help also came from Mr. Patocka and his son from Podhuri as they offered their equipment. Whenever I needed to transfer the figurines or logs, they came with their transport machinery and did whatever was necessary for free.

I was also visited several times by other people who had heard that the nativity scene was being made, and contributed to get petrol, oil, saw chains, etc. I should mention at least Ms. Greplova, Hrdinova, Schuserova, Procingerova, and Mr. Jiri Kulhanek and Frantisek Havlicek.

My special thanks go to the Stihl company, run by Mr. Cerman from Studenec. They serviced my saws for eight months for free, and sometimes also provided some material.

Is there a figurine you feel closer to than with the others?

All of them are made from oak and weigh between 200 kg and 1000 kg. There was enormous energy in the logs from which I made them, and I don’t want to go into details as some of the characters might get offended. I saw the figurine in every log I worked on, and I didn’t even need to draw any marks. But there is a figurine I felt closer to. It is the character of the miller with two bags of flour. When I tried positioning it, it slipped and as it fell, it crushed part of the middle finger of my left hand. It was perfectly “repaired” in the hospital in Vysoke, and I can’t thank them enough. Of course I am not angry at the miller; I only tell myself, “Oh boy, you were so heavy!” every time I walk past it. The complication was that I was unable to continue for some time after being injured, and I will probably have to wait until I’m fine again to complete a few figurines of animals.

What would you wish for the fairytale nativity scene for Christmas and the new year?

Before I answer, I should mention the message behind this nativity scene. I am a Catholic and my mother and grandmother were great believers. I even served as an acolyte when I was young. However, I must say that the creed presented by churches today has somewhat missed me. I don’t want to say that I’m no longer a believer, it’s just my own business what my faith is. Pope Francis mentioned recently that God is actually love, friendship, honesty, decency, diligence …, and I felt as if these words came from the bottom of my heart. I am not happy with how fossilised and self-seeking today’s churches are, and that’s why this nativity scene is what it is.

I wish the Krkonose fairytale nativity scene to be liked by the people, to please them and make them feel comfortable.

I see now why your nativity scene is so different …

It is not different. It has just been carved to celebrate love, friendship, diligence, honesty, and especially to celebrate newborn babies. Enjoying those who are born, especially in families that had wanted them so much – it’s hard to say whether there is something more beautiful and important to celebrate.

Why did you choose the setting of the First Republic?

The Krkonose Fairytale children’s TV stories perfectly captured the atmosphere of a time when it didn’t take much for one to be happy and to live a good life. There is an inscription which I have carved on the bench near the Krakonos figurine which says – “There were worse times, and people still did not complain. Krakonos.” I believe this says it all.