Nuremberg/Nürnberg: Old Christmas market with tradition

Attracting two million visitors annually, Nuremberg Christmas market is likely the most well-known outside of Germany.

Early historical evidence of the market dates back to 1628 — but despite tourists' impressions of it, it is neither the oldest, nor the largest nor the most popular in Germany.

Nuremberg prominence lies in its traditional role as a marketplace for handcrafted wooden figurines and decorations.

Set between the Frauenkirche and the oldest of Nurembergs gabled homes, the market is opened each year by the Nuremberg/Nürnberg Christkind — a young person who assumes the responsibility of visiting schools and charitable organizations during the holiday season to spread the holiday spirit.

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He or she opens the festivities with a traditional Christmas prologue by dramatist Friedrich Bröger, son of the poet Karl Bröger.

Nuremberg/Nürnberg is known for its culinary delights, such as Lebkuchen, a honey-laced cookie which was produced in the city as early as 1395. The citizens of Nuremberg gathered honey for Lebkuchen in the woods surrounding the city, an area that has been given the title “Germany’s richest bee garden.”

While the baked good was first made in Ulm, German Prinz Karl IV created a honey monopoly in Nuremberg that allowed it to develop into a regional tradition over the next few centuries – a tradition that continues today.

These days, the Lebkuchen industry employs over 4,000 people in the city. The decorative tins that hold the cakes have become collectible items in Germany and abroad.

Another must-taste at the fair are thin brown sausages made by local butchers that share the name of the city’s inhabitants, “Nürnberger.”

The Christkindlesmarket 2004 will be opened on Friday, November 26th with the traditional prologue. Last market-day is the 24th of December.

Opening:
November 25th 2.00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.
Monday tru Wednesday 9.30 a.m. - 8.00 p.m.
Thursday - Saturday 9.30 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.
Sunday 10.30 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.
24. Dezember opened from 9.30 tru 2:00 p.m.

More info: Congress- und Tourismus-Zentrale, Postfach 42 48, 90022 Nürnberg, Telefon (0911) 23 36-0, Telefax (0911) 23 36-1 66, e-mail: tourismus@nuernberg.de

photo: Uli Kowatsch, Congress- und Tourismus-Zentrale Nürnberg
source: germany-info.org & TI Nueremberg