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Festive Spirit

Christmas Markets in Germany

December 04th, 2014
2014.12.03._Norbert Sarosi_Christmas Market in Germany pic03 Berlin.jpg

Unique attractions, regional specialties, hand-crafted toys and gifts, roasted almonds and mulled wine are waiting for those who are looking to get into the festive spirit of the Christmas markets in Germany.

Christmas markets have become popular in the whole of Europe, and they are well known in the United States and Japan as well. But the oldest Christmas markets are found in Germany. Thousands of them attract tens of millions of tourists yearly from all around the world and their number is increasing.

Different German cities have their own unique attractions, whether is that having the highest number of markets, the biggest market, the oldest market or even markets with unusual themes, like Hamburg's market having erotica-themed stalls, or Frankfurt having a ‘pink’ market favored by LGBT visitors.

The Best Christmas Markets

Berlin takes the lead with the overall number of Christmas markets. There are 80 markets in the capital, of all sizes, where there is something for everyone. The most known of these is the “Winter Dream” market on Alexander Platz, one of the biggest in the city which also has a ferris-wheel.

The biggest one in Germany, which also has the highest attendance, a number of some 4 million visitors each year is in Cologne, located next to Cologne Cathedral.

“Striezelmarkt” is the oldest Christmas market in Germany, it is organized the 580th time this year and is located in Dresden. The attraction of the “Striezelmarkt” is the Christmas pyramid towering 14 meters high in the center of the market. The biggest candle during Advent is made of a 118-ft high stone tower covered with red cloth at the Christmas market of the town Schlitz. The most unusual gift ideas and art handicraft are known to be from “Rathausmarkt” in Hamburg where a sleigh flies 40 meters above the Christmas market three times a day.

The most known traditional Christmas market which pulls visitors from all around the world to its historic city center is probably the “Christkindlesmarkt” in Nuremberg. “Christkindlesmarkt” is also famous of “Zwetschgenmännla”, a figure intricately decorated with dried fruits.

Though, Nuremberg is not the only German city with a splendid historic city center. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the small Bavarian town disposes a widely known medieval old town center, known from movies like “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and others, being particularly popular with visitors from Asia. The attraction of the “Reiterlesmarkt” is “Reiterle”, the mystical figure which is believed to have originated from another world and is a benign mascot of the market.

Last but not least, we would like to mention the UNESCO Heritage town of Quedlinburg, where from December the 1st until Christmas, the door of one of two dozen houses with Christmas decorations around the castle-hill is opened every day, forming the largest Advent calendar in Germany, which is waiting to be discovered by children every year.

Berlin Global wishes You a Happy Christmas of shopping and the best Advent ever!

2014.12.03._Norbert Sarosi_Christmas Market in Germany pic01 Köln.jpg
2014.12.03._Norbert Sarosi_Christmas Market in Germany pic02 Nürnberg.jpg

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