Nutcracker Wilhelm back home from space

The nutcracker Wilhelm from the Ore Mountains is back in his home country after his trip into space. The little wooden figure will make his first public appearance after his great adventure on the MDR talk show "Riverboat", which will be broadcast on Friday (December 1). Astronaut Matthias Maurer will hand Wilhelm back to his creator, the Seiffen-based wooden toy maker Markus Füchtner. "Now he's finally back and we're so happy," said Füchtner.

Wilhelm was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021 and spent almost a year in space. Astronaut Maurer had taken the 12-centimeter tall and 29-gram figure with him.

"It's a really great story behind Wilhelm," said Maurer. "I was only allowed to take 0.5 kilograms of personal luggage with me, and Wilhelm was part of that. I am delighted to now see how special his journey is for an entire region - the Ore Mountains." The nutcracker flew in a transport rocket, with Maurer following shortly afterwards.

The journey into space came about on the initiative of Chemnitz - Capital of Culture 2025 and the Mittweida-based space expert Tasillo Römisch. Wilhelm was already traveling a lot before his space adventure. "He has traveled to 40 countries as an ambassador for the Ore Mountains," said Füchtner. A good friend told him in 2016 that he wanted to take a piece of home with him on a trip around the world. This is how Wilhelm became a travel nutcracker.

During his 350 days in space, Wilhelm orbited the Earth 5573 times. He returned in August 2022 with the SpaceX Dragon CRS-25 transport rocket. Füchtner said he had already wondered whether Wilhelm would come back safe and sound or whether some of the paint had peeled off or he was damaged. "But he came back exactly as he left." For now, Wilhelm should stay in his home in the Ore Mountains and celebrate the 700th anniversary of Seiffen next year.