Liechtenstein: everybody knows this small state between Austria and Switzerland. But what’s about Lichtenstein without e of the first syllable? It is a small town in Saxony, situated between Zwickau and Chemnitz, has a castle of the 12th century and a country seat of the 18th century. Beside the country seat are two new buildings which belong to the Daetz-Centre and it is this centre which makes Lichtenstein so interesting. It is the worldwide only museum devoted to wood carving and was founded by the Daetz couple on July 2001. Hans-Günter was reminded to this museum by his daughter and invited us to visit it. On January 10th, a Saturday, we drove by Günter’s car from Halle/Saale to Lichtenstein via Peißen – Schkeuditzer Kreuz – Hermsdorfer Kreuz – Ronneburg – Crimmitschau – Meerane – Glauchau – Hohenstein-Ernstthal – Hermsdorf – Bernsdorf and arrived our destination at 9.40 a.m. It was raining from lowly hanging grey clouds and the fields around Lichtenstein were covered even with snow. Unfortunately there was no sight from the hill with the country seat because the weather was so bad. The country seat is above the town and easily to find. The museum is housed in a rectangular multi storey building with big windows and comprises 650 exhibits from 5 continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America) at the moment. Furthermore there are open events, meetings and conferences for advanced training; the first course of study on “International Wood Carving Art” was opened on September 2002.We paid our fee and started our tour at the basement. Contrary to the most museums with halls, the exhibits are in small rooms with artificial light and soft background music. Because of the plenty and diversity of the exhibits and the limited time we had to our disposal it is impossible to devote each of it the due attention; in most cases only a short view was possible. Let us have a closer look at least one of one sculpture with the curious title:“Buddha monk standing on a sack full of wishes and bringing happiness”, a carving made by the Chinese artist Yu Ying Shun (from Wenzouh) in 1996. This masterpiece of art made from warm boxwood represents a fat chubby faced bald headed and laughing monk whose eyes are opened as slits. His mouth is opened a little and shows his faultless teeth. He is standing on a sack from cloth, firmly closed by a long band, skilfully tied up. The laughing face makes the monk pleasant at once. Which order does the monk belong to? Quite certainly he is no mendicant who must beg for food day after day; he looks to well nourished. He also is no ascetic who belongs to a sect propagating Buddhism with missionary ardour. The monk should be rather a well situated abbot of a Buddhist monastery, surrounded by novices and servants. As usual with many Buddhist statues his both ear lobes are extremely elongated and he wears a chain of pearls around his breast, certainly no sign of wealth, but as a rosary with a holy number of pearls. A lotus flower with a Buddha of folded legs is of course inappropriate to a monk: instead he is standing – as mentioned – on a sack.  His richly draped silken robe does not cover breast, belly and feet and is hold in place by a belt of silk with a loop below his navel. On his right hand wrist is dangling a prayer wheel, while the finger of his left hand clasp an object which looks like a rattle. The head of an elephant and a dragon look out between his feet. The smiling on the face of the monk reflects his happiness: apparently he is in harmony with the world and believes to be on the Buddha way into the Nirvana. We call a human being who is at the top of his bliss “happy without any wishes”. This seems to be the feeling which our monk enjoys to the full in the shown position. He knows from the teachings that most human desires are the reason for a dissatisfying life and the resulting bad actions. Therefore our Buddha monk has put his desires into a well closed sack and is treating them with his feet. How many prayers may he have sent to the sky with his rosary and the prayer wheel before he achieved this state of happiness? So much is certain: the artist will lead us on the right way of Buddha to make us understand better the nature of happiness. Let us make a short notice about cultural history at this place. It is pleasing that such a work of art can be made in the contemporary China. Under the regime of Moa Zedong and the culture revolution an artist would have risked his life, carving a Buddha.Passing by the wonderful wood carving “The African Communion” (by Tungatinabile) made from ebony we pass at a room with numerous rectangular (about 60 cm x 60 cm in size) colourful paintings with motifs of the African fauna (zebras, birds, hippos, giraffes, elephants, lions and cheetahs and arrive at a room with wood carvings which give a deep insight to the spiritual and emotional life of African people. The members of many African tribes believe even today in magic and spirits and sensitive artists are capable of representing such demonic conditions, but it is difficult to interpret the sculptures.Such difficulties are absent by the view of wood carvings from Islamic countries; for the Koran forbids any pictorial representation of God and man. Muslim artists had to realize their ideas and talents otherwise: they used the endless diversity of lines, patterns and mosaics to create real masterpieces as the dome of a mosque (made from the wood of Atlas cedars) from the Moroccan woodcarver Kamal Bellamine. After the tour of two hours we had a coffee (with cake) at the cafeteria of the museum and visited then a special exhibition of Christmas crèches at the basement. Some photos of us, taken in front of the museum shall us remember to this interesting excursion. Unfortunately the park of the country seat is covered with ice and hence we give up the tour. A steep path leads down to the town from the hill with the museum along the castle of Lichtenstein. We return below the castle, warm us up with a cup of tea at the car and start the return journey at 2 p.m. The weather is better now and the drizzle stops behind Gera. Near Ronneburg we can see south of the highway some huge pyramids. These heaps are the remnants from uranium mining of the former Wismut AG. We arrive safely at Halle at half past tree p.m.Thank you, dear Hans-Günter and Christel for this cultural highlight in January 2004.

Siegfried and Ruth