20 IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE...
Nov/Dec 2022 Travel News Frohe Weihnachten!
...that’s Happy Christmas in German
Come delve into the home of Christmas Markets this holiday season as the streets light up once again for the countdown to the festivities. NI Travel News take their cup of apfelwein and pick the top German must-see Markets this winter
Weihnachtsmarkt Am Kölner Dom, Cologne
Cologne has a variety of Christmas markets due to its size; It is the fourth largest city in Germany.
The most popular and best-known of the Christmas Markets on show is in front of the famous Cologne Cathedral - the organisers expect over 4 million visitors each year to the 150 stands in the Roncalliplatz. But there are quite a few others on offer - some in the centre and some in quieter parts of the city. And the market next to the historic cathedral is not the oldest by a long way... Originally, what became known as Advent or Christmas Markets were month-long markets that sold toys, nuts and sweets. Cologne was relatively late on the scene, with the first in the city being the Nicolaimarkt in 1820 in the old town. Sixtyfive years later, the mass of stands and the rowdiness of the market had grown too much for the authorities and the market was banned. The current markets on the Neumarkt and
the Alter Markt were founded in the 1970s, with the cathedral market opening in the 1990s and most of the other smaller markets since the turn of the century.
www.christmasmarketsgermany.com
Berlin’s Christmas Markets, Berlin (NITN Pick)
Christmas is even more special when you visit the Christmas Markets. With many local and international markets to choose from there are few better than Berlin Christmas Markets. With many large markets to choose from only a bus ride from each other, the only downside is having enough time to visit them all. Each of them have their own unique style with only the warm Gluhwein or Beer Stein a constant favourite. Alexanderplatz is a must with its open air ice rink and fairground atmosphere and Charlottenburg Palace, with its stunning Palace backdrop, a must if you are looking for a more romantic setting.
Münchner Christkindlmarkt, Munich (NITN Pick)
As the centre of the conservative and mainly Catholic state of Bavaria, it is hardly surprising that Munich has one of the oldest and most traditional of Christmas markets. The Christkindlmarkt is held in front of Munich Town Hall in a prime location for the three million visitors in the pedestrian heart of the city.
Locals reckon that the roots of the market
go back into the 14th century, although it has only been in its present prime position since the 1970s.
Although Munich may well be the capital of a conservative state, it is also known for being a rich and trendy cultural hotspot and the mix of of tastes in other markets is an interesting one.
www.christmasmarketsgermany.com
Frankfurt Christmas Market (NITN Pick)
Frankfurt am Main has a single big Christmas market in the historic quarter of
the city around Römerburg and Paulsplatz. The actual dimensions of the market stretch
from the square at the Hauptwache down to the quayside on the river.
Like most of the Advent events, the market opens towards the end of November and stretches through to the day before Christmas Eve. During the time of the market, authorities reckon with around 3 million visitors. The history
of the Frankfurt market
stretches back to the end of the 14th century, when mystery plays were performed on the Römerberg.
Over the centuries, the Frankfurt market has developed its own specialities. Two of them are based on baked marzipan mixes: Brenten, which are rectangular, and Bettmännchen, which are mounds with almonds on the side. Another are the strange Quetschemännchen, which are figures made out of prunes and nuts. These go back to the days when young men would send these figures to the girls they fancied. If the figure was not returned to sender, he knew that he had a chance to win the hand of the girl.
www.christmasmarketsgermany.com Dresden
Dresden has the largest number of Christmas markets in the eastern part of the country and is one of the cities that are able to lay claim to the title of being the oldest seasonal event in Germany.
Certainly it is one of the most traditional, with many of the customs surrounding the main city market stemming from local
industries like mining, woodworking and pottery.
The Striezelmarkt originally started back in
the 15th century. The word ‘Striezel’ actually refers to a cake made at this time of year called a ‘Stollen’, which is also found in other parts of Germany, but in this area is reputed to represent the entrance to the mines in the nearby Erzgebirge range.
Another tradition stemming from the mining history is the Christmas arch - originally a metal but now usually a wooden arch which displays candles and figures. According to local folklore, this stems from the candles that the miners would hang from the entrance to the mine on the last working day before Xmas.
www.christmasmarketsgermany.com Nuremberg
The Christkindlesmarkt in the Bavarian
city of Nuremberg is one of the biggest and best-known in the world.
The market started back in the 17th century. The first evidence of a Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt comes from a wooden box with an inscription on the bottom which reads: ‘Regina Susanna Harßdörfferin von der Jungfrau Susanna Eleonora Erbsin zum Kindles-Marck überschickt 1628’ (essentially, ‘received on the occasion of a Christkindl market in 1628’).
The market survived many centuries but by the end of the 19th century was nowhere near as popular as it once had been. It was not until the 1930s and the promotion of Nuremberg as a major historic jewel by the Nazi regime that it once more increased in significance. The markets were not held during the Second World War but were restarted in 1948. Nowadays the market welcome more than 2 million visitors a year from around the world, with thousands of spectators for the official opening by the Christkind.
www.christmasmarketsgermany.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
