The Herrnhut Star Company is located in the town of Herrnhut, which is also the birthplace of the new "Herrnhuter Brüderunität". The first stars were made here over 160 years ago and were lit using lamps fuelled by rapessed oil or petroleum. In 1984, Pieter Hendrik Verbeek oppend a bookshop which also sold music and craft supplies and kits for stars. In the following years, Verbeek developed the design and assembly of a sturdy 25 pointed star. In 1899 Verbeek made a business contract with the Moravian Church and founded the company "Verbeek & Co. Papierwaren- und Cartonagen Fabrik". The stars were sold originally through the business arm of the Moravian Church until 1904 when the Mission bookshop took over this role.
P.H. Verbeek spent the following years refining the construction of the stars and in 1925 he applied a patent for a frameless Herrnhut Star. This still forms the basic of todays frameless star. The self supporting construction made mass production, sales and delivery much easier and was a vital feature for successful worldwide marketing. In the same year Verbeek partnered with the Moravian Church Missions Department and the Abraham Dürninger & Co., founding the Star Company.
The stars enjoyed increasing popularity. However, they still remained a saisonal product. For a full-year employment were added other goods like candles lamps or lampshades.
In 1945 the Star company was expropriated by the Russian installed government an nationalised. Consequently, in 1951 it was renamed "VEB Oberlausitz Stern- und Lampenschirmfabrik". The production of Herrnhut Stars continued alongside that of other products. So by the middle of the 1960s they were again in production throughout the year. When handproduction no longer fitted into the socialist ideal of industrial poduction, the Moravian Church was offered the renationalization and the return of the business - a very unusual action in those days. On 1st January 1969 the production began in the former Gaswork of the Moravian Church. It continued, however, to be required to reach the yearly production goals given by the State.
The reunification of Germany in 1989 brought another challenging time for the company. It needed to create new avenues of marketing. In 1991 the Herrnhut Star Company registered itself with the Moravian Church as sole shareholder. Extensive investment in the improvement of production and quality became possible in the 1990´s. This also increased the range of products available, resulting in the growth of the Herrnhut Star Company into the thriving business you see today. The laying of the foundation stone for a new building in July 2007 is a new milestone in the story of the Herrnhut Star company.
