Herrnhuter Sterne

Herrnhut, Saxony, Germany

The Moravian star grew out of a geometry lesson at a Moravian boarding school in the nineteenth century. Its many-pointed form became an Advent tradition, and Herrnhuter Sterne has been making the stars in Herrnhut, in eastern Saxony, since 1897.

The paper stars are still made by hand in Herrnhut. The workshop also produces stars in plastic, from miniature indoor models to larger stars designed to hang outdoors. We chose them for the precision of their form and the way light changes it. By day, the points give the star a crisp, sculptural silhouette. At dusk, it becomes a soft point of light in a window or above a doorway.