A Kastenkrippe is a small Austrian nativity scene made inside a box, with characters often made of baked clay.
In 1782 Emperor Joseph II, influenced by Enlightenment anti-Catholic attitudes, banned the display of large nativity scenes, especially in churches. HIs Christmas-loving subjects responded by building their own elaborate nativity scenes in hand-made wooden boxes, and displaying them in their homes during the sacred season. The Kastenkrippe) was usually set up in the “Lord’s nook” (Herrgottswinkel), a corner of the main room with a crucifix and a small altar. This also led to the blossoming of nativity scene construction in the village of Thaur near Hall in Tirol.