Nuremberg Lebkuchen
Is there anyone who hasn't heard of it? The delicious Nuremberg gingerbread is a must at every Christmas. People were enjoying this speciality as early as the 11th century, when it was originally baked in monastery bakeries.
Christmas time, adventure time!
Germany, in contemplation
Elegant Advent decorations adorn windows, shops and market squares. Fairy lights twinkle in front gardens and above streets. Cheerful melodies like reindeer sleighs and the smell of Christmas baked goods, roasted apples and gingerbread. There's no question that the run-up to Christmas is a delight for all the senses.
At hundreds of Christmas markets between the Baltic Sea and Lake Constance, impressive sights, smells, tastes and sounds are everywhere. No wonder: artisans offer their traditionally made goods, choirs perform, storytellers make children smile and regional delicacies hit the spot. It's a bonus that many markets can be easily reached by train. Numerous visitor passes between Flensburg and Freiburg allow you to use local public transport free of charge!
We'll share where you can find particularly atmospheric, traditional and unusual Christmas markets. In the meantime, you can enjoy specially selected Christmas songs, the big Christmas podcast and plenty of recipes to get you in the Christmas spirit at home.
This is where things get festive
Find your favourite Christmas market!
Can't find a suitable Christmas market? Simply enter the city name or postcode - and discover Christmas markets worth seeing. Enjoy your search and have a Merry Christmas!
Christmas magic on Play: Short clips, big customs!
In addition to the enormous variety of Christmas markets, a number of traditional Christmas customs are still practised in many regions of Germany and preserved for future generations. Discover a small selection of exciting customs on our map, which we would like to present to you in the form of entertaining video clips. Taking part or watching is always welcome!
Delicious recipes: on your marks, get set, bake!
Advent is a time for reflection and bright lights, but also for extra special sweet treats – from Nuremberg gingerbread to Dresden Christmas stollen and from Dominosteinen chocolates to all kinds of biscuits, not to mention children's punch and mulled wine. You don't necessarily have to go to a Christmas market to enjoy them. Baking and cooking enthusiasts with a sweet tooth can make the classics themselves, provided they have good recipes. We've compiled a few here.
Christmas songs for everyone: the true sound of music!
Christmas carols are like many a sweet treat: unnoticed for most of the year, Advent is their time to shine. However, different settings also require different songs. Sometimes they aim to get the youngsters in particular to sing along, sometimes they emphasise the reflective aspect of Christmas across the generations, and at other times encourage people to tap their feet or even dance. These three playlists – tranquil, modern and kid-friendly – provide the perfect soundtrack to every festive occasion.
Christmas podcast: tinsel for the ears
Germany is colourful all year round, and Christmastime is no different. After all, every region cultivates its own customs, specialities and stories. This podcast brings some of them together. For example, the fact that one of Berlin's dozens of Christmas markets is aimed specifically at dog lovers. That the Gengenbach Town Hall unveils a large work of art in one of its 24 windows every day, just like an Advent calendar. Or that the Spreewald ferry captains also offer their boat trips in winter – with a touch of magic included. Have fun on this Christmas audio journey!
Listen in...
... and let us take you on a Christmas journey across Germany.
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Transcript of the audible content
Intro with music:
“Experience Germany – A Surprising Journey of Discovery”
INTRO
In the run-up to Christmas, the smell of roasted almonds, gingerbread and mulled wine is found everywhere in Germany. Each city has its own Christmas market. One of the most famous is the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt and it is opened by the Christ Child himself, says City Councilor Dr. Michael Fraas.
OST Dr. Michael Fraas, Nuremberg, Bavaria
Man: It is the Friday of the first Advent weekend, it is dark at the main market. All the lights will be turned off, including those in surrounding buildings and stalls. The square is dark. Then a big spotlight comes on, directed at the balcony of the Frauenkirche, and suddenly the Christ Child is standing there in his golden robe and crown and says: “The Christ Child invites you to his market and everyone is welcome.”
And the oldest German Christmas market is actually the Striezelmarkt in Dresden, dating back to 1434. Like Nuremberg with its gingerbread, Dresden’s Christmas market is also associated with a famous pastry, reports Veronika Hiebl of Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen.
OST Veronika Hiebl, Dresden, Saxony
Woman: The Dresden Striezelmarkt and the Dresden Christstollen share a common history, and this history continues to this day, as the Dresden Striezelmarkt owes its name to the traditional pastry originally known as Striezel.
But when it comes to the capital city of Christmas markets, Christian Tänzler of Visit Berlin clearly sees this as the German capital, with more than 50 themed markets ranging from royal to urban.
OST Christian Tänzler, Visit Berlin
Man: We have a Christmas market for dog lovers, for example. Of course, we also have nice things like a children’s Christmas market, a winter camp for the LGBTQI community, we have an old railroad, which is a bit magical and atmospheric in an old locomotive shed. And, what is very, very important in Berlin is the issue of sustainability. We have an organic market at Kollwitz Square. Therefore, everyone can find what they are looking for.
The 17 Christmas markets in “Holy Hamburg” also range from the cheeky and frivolous “Santa Pauli” on the Reeperbahn to maritime Christmas flair, explains Guido Neumann from Hamburg Tourismus.
OST Guido Neumann, Hamburg Tourismus
Man: We have a Christmas market in the Hafencity right on the waterfront, overlooking the harbor, a Christmas market around the Binnenalster lake or there are two Christmas markets on the waterways, on the canals. In addition, there are many things that take place on ships: Christmas fairy tales on steamboats on the Alster river, boat trips and Christmas-themed cruises on the Elbe through the brightly lit harbor.
Grog instead of mulled wine, fish sandwiches instead of the usual bratwurst. But stollen, cookies, Santa Claus, Christmas carols and Advent calendars are also part of the Advent season. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest Advent calendar house in the world is located in the Black Forest, according to Oliver Gerhard, spokesman for the town of Gengenbach.
OST Oliver Gelhardt, Gengenbach Advent calendar, Baden-Württemberg
Man: The town hall happens to have 24 windows, and this town hall is illuminated and becomes a giant Advent calendar, and every evening at 6 pm a window opens. The special thing about the Gengenbach Advent calendar is that great artists are always included. We already had paintings by Chagall, by Tomi Ungerer … There is always great art in these windows.
If you want to see the German cities with the most beautiful Christmas decorations through a window, you can book river cruises to romantic winter destinations on the Rhine, Danube or Elbe. From November to March, so-called winter punting trips are also offered on the Spreewald, says Patrick Kastner from Reiseland Brandenburg.
OST Patrick Kastner, Spreewald, Brandenburg
Man: These are unique Winter moments to enjoy snuggled up in a warm wool blanket with mulled wine in hand. You can listen dreamily to stories of the bargemen, who stand at the end and steer the ship almost like a gondola in Venice.
If you travel to Germany’s northernmost tip, you can find fir trees in Freest and on the island of Rügen, which are decorated with apples, potatoes and rose hips instead of baubles, angels and tinsel, because that’s where Lütten Christmas is celebrated, the Christmas festival of animals based on a book by Hans Fallada, explains Kathrin Hackbarth from Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
OST Kathrin Hackbarth, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania: Lütten Christmas
Woman: The animals also find it difficult to find the appropriate food: there is snow on the Baltic coast in some places. So the idea came up to create edible ornaments. These can be titmouse rings, carrots, clay pots filled with lard and seeds or fruit, which are then laid out for the animals.
A small joy for the forest animals in the snow. And the snow also makes skiers happy, especially in the Bavarian Alps and the Black Forest. But there are also lifts on the Wasserkuppe mountain in Hesse, on the Fichtelberg in Saxony and on the Erbeskopf in the Palatinate. And Andreas Lehmberg from the Harzer Tourismusverband recommends winter vacations in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
OST Andreas Lehmberg, Harz ski resorts
Man: There are large ski resorts for alpine skiing in Braunlage on the Wurmberg or the Matthias-Schmidt-Berg in Sankt Andreasberg, and in the ski resort on the Bocksberg mountain in Hahnenklee. Those are the big ones. In addition to alpine skiing, cross-country skiing in the Harz Mountains is of course very exciting, where we have over 500 km of cross-country trails. And also, the Harz Mountains are very important when it comes to tobogganing, because from the north we are the first mountain range where you can go tobogganing on a longer stretch. That is why we have a dense network of winter hiking trails prepared.
If you want to get really active this winter, you’ll find plenty of sporting highlights at the Olympic base in Oberhof in the Thuringian Forest, reveals Thuringian sports journalist Katja Bauroth.
OST Katja Bauroth, Oberhof, Thuringia
Woman: There is the ski jump. Walking up and down the steps is great for the leg muscles. You will meet international athletes in the biathlon stadium on the Grenzadler. It is also possible for tourists there to have a go at the targets themselves. The cross-country ski hall allows year-round cross-country skiing and you can also meet the international crème de la crème of Nordic skiing there.
Well then, have fun in Germany in the wintertime!
OUTRO