The Christmas market at Köln (Cologne) Neumarkt.
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
I have spent the last week with my mom, who came to visit for a week. This is the first time I have spent Christmas in Germany. What can you expect in Germany during the holidays?
You may feel that Christmas is more festive in Germany, because not only are streets and city centers decorated with lights, but there are also Christmas markets, or Weihnachtsmärkte in almost every German city, big or small. The locals spend a lot of time at the Christmas markets, and it seems like a tradition for them to go to one each year. You have to be careful, because the Christmas markets open in November and usually close before Christmas (though some are open until the first week of January, like in Berlin), so make sure you check the open dates of the Christmas market in the city you’d prefer to visit.
These markets are very unique and special to each city. Dortmund, for example, has a giant Christmas tree. We went there because it was said to us that that Christmas market was one of the biggest. After visiting, I would say they have the biggest tree I have ever seen at a Christmas market, but there were not that many stands. The booths could have been spread out in different areas of the inner city, but we did not look around that much.
The Christmas market in Essen is very nice. I have been there quite frequently, and it is the Christmas market that I use for comparison now, because I have been there so often and like it a lot. There are over 150 booths, spread between two connected parts of the city. The vendors sell everything from crepes to star lights to gloves and mittens, and even leather goods like belts. There is also coffee and tea, different spices, wood workers, and hand warmers. There are booths with special cuisines like Mohnkuchen (cake with poppy seeds), or noodle dishes from the Black Forest region, and traditional German foods like bratwurst, potato pancakes, and Glühwein (a spiced, mulled wine, both white and red varieties).
In addition, the Christmas market in Essen is going on at the same time as the light festival. The light festival starts in November, and includes lights set up in the city center and decorated streets for the Christmas market. In addition, various artists have light exhibits set up all over the city. I have seen color-changing mountains made out of computer motherboards, glowing jellyfish made from plastic buckets and tubes, a cloud or tree made up of individual light bulbs that each turned on and off, and a building outlined in different colors and filled in with candy. It is quite a unique experience. There is a fireworks show that kicks off the opening day of the light show. I have gone every year and never was disappointed.
I have also been to several Christmas markets in Köln (Cologne). If you are in Köln over the holidays, it is easy to hit up one or two of the Christmas markets. My friend, Debbie, who lives in Köln, recommended the one in the Alter Markt (old market square), or the one in the Neumarkt (new market square). The Alter Markt was nice, because it featured a lot of old-style shops. There was also an ice skating rink and a place to shoot stock (Eisstockschießen). There were the usual hat, mitten, and scarf vendors, as well as the traditional bratwurst stands, but there were also local delicacies like cured meats, cheeses, and meat pastes, as well as vendors with wool products. They also had vendors roasting chestnuts and antiques for sale. It was very charming to see little gnomes hidden on the eaves of each booth. This was one of the cutest markets I have ever been to. The kids could even get a ride on a small ferris wheel if they like!
The Christmas Market in the Neumarkt in Köln was special because it had cute white stands and there were Christmas stars that twinkled. These stars were hung on the branches of the trees all over the market, so wherever you were standing, you could look up at the stars overhead. It had a nice Christmas-y atmosphere or wintery feeling to it.
This market featured traditional Christmas market items like hats and scarves, light decorations, leather products, as well as specialties. For specialties, they had hot waffles shaped like the church in Köln (the Kölner Dom), Baumkuchen (a cake shaped like the rings of a tree, and each slice features the rings), in addition to torrone, an Italian nougat dessert. But the best thing about this market was that it had a very cute collectible Christmas market mug!
Each market has a different collectible mug. They usually sell the Glühwein or other hot drinks in the mug, and charge you a deposit AND the cost of the drink. The deposit is usually around 2-3 Euros, so it is quite expensive. But if you don’t care about the money and would value a collectible mug, then keep the mug! They really do have some cute ones. But if you would rather just have the drink and return the mug, you can do that, too. You would return the mug to the same booth that you got it from. Most booths at the Weihnachtsmarkt use the same mugs, so you can also return it to another booth that is using that type of mug. Then you get your deposit back! It is really up to you- but a holiday drink gives the market a warmer and more festive feeling. Cheers!
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched- they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller