Erich Wunderwald was born in this house on 16th of September in 1903 as a son of a shoemaker. He grew up here and attended school in Ruppendorf. Erich Wunderwald became a shoemaker himself and had to take over his father’s business after his sudden death before Erich was able to finish his apprenticeship. His love for his home – the „Erzgebirge“- had been the reason he initiated a dialect band with some local residents in 1946 shortly after the war ended. They called themselves the „Ruppendorfer Ruinenspatzen“.

Everywhere they performed they were successful and motivated to continue their art. Especially during christmas, due to holiday replacements and charity club events by the “Volkssolidarität”, their performances became more and more popular. On 22nd of September in 1971 the group celebrated their 1000th performance at the GDR union holiday home in the village of Oberbärenburg. In 1981 the group ended their career due to their age after 35 years of folkloristic performances. Members had never been changed. With his talent and as head of the group Erich Wunderwald shaped the group’s work distinctively. He has written several dialect poems and cheerful poetry which he, of course, performed and presented himself. Some of his texts have been set to dialect music.