Cologne’s Old Town is also the home of the „Heinzelmännchen“, or house gnomes. A famous legend, originating in the 18th century, tells of the Heinzelmännchen, who were highly skilled craftsmen and responsible for creating Cologne’s wealth. The Heizelmännchen toiled away all night, unseen, in the workshops of the guild streets, while the idle human craftsmen slept. 

August Kopisch wrote his famous poem about the Heinzelmännchen of Cologne in 1836.

Figures similar to the Heinzelmännchen can be found in many countries in the shape of brownies or hobgoblins, dwarves, or trolls. In Scandinavia, they also serve as Father Christmas’s helpers.