Germany – Page 8 – European Traveler

European Christmas Markets Celebrate the Season

Advent is the season in Europe when thousands of communities–large and small–set up Christmas trees, colorful lights and craft stalls in their central market square. For decades, Europeans have been getting together at these unique Christmas markets to share conversation, to enjoy a glass of hot mulled wine, or to find just the right specialty gift for a family member or friend.

European Traveler offers a quick glance at some of these fascinating markets, which normally last until Christmas Eve.

Belgium

Every town in French-speaking Wallonia hosts its own Christmas Market. The central square of Liège and the neighbouring Place du Marché stage one of Belgium’s largest Christmas Markets, attracting more than 1 million visitors with 190 wooden chalets full of tempting goodies, sweets and original hand crafted products and presents.

If you’re in Brussels between November 27 and January 3, enjoy the Brussels Winter Wonderland featuring a Christmas Market with many stalls, a giant illuminated ferris wheel, street activities and a large skating rink.

Switzerland

In Lucerne, a number of Christmas events take place, including the Christ Child Market at Railcity, the train station, between November 28 – December 21. Around 50 festively-decorated market stalls bring a Christmas atmosphere feel to the station.

Every year between December 3-20 Lucerne’s Christmas Market takes place at the Franziskanerplatz. There are a large variety of stands with Christmas decorations, sweets, food and beverages. The Christmas Tree Market usually starts one week before Christmas along the Schweizerhofquai. Then between December 17-20, 20 stands from 20 countries present typical Christmas items from their homelands. There is always a stage featuring Christmas productions from all over the world. For more information, go to www.luzern.com/en/welcome.cfm?

Germany

Thuringia is primarily famous for its festive Christmas markets and especially the large selection of glass Christmas tree decorations. The Lauscha Ball Market (always held during two weekends in Advent) has the largest selection, but these traditional decorations are also available at other Thuringian Christmas markets.

In Frankfurt you are invited to the large, time-honored Christmas market where you can become acquainted with the market’s many culinary specialities and its traditions. You can join tour guides in ascending to the rooftop gallery of St. Nicholas Church, from where you’ll be able to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the entire market and the Frankfurt skyline. Next, join young and old for a nostalgic ride on a vintage carousel. Warm yourself with a hot cup of mulled wine at the end of the tour and take in the wonderful view of the market’s beautifully illuminated Christmas tree. The 1 1/2 hour tours include a carousel ride, hot mulled wine and special marzipan candy. Tours are available in English and German from the first day in Advent until Christmas.

Thanks to the Tourist Boards of Germany, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland for the photos in the report.

Christmas Markets in Luther Country

In Germany’s Luther Country, Advent means Christmas markets. The crisp winter air is filled with the smell of ginger and nutmeg, signaling the arrival of Stollen, a special Christmas cake, and Glühwein, mulled wine. Cobbled streets and squares, lined with half-timbered medieval houses, provide the backdrop for dozens of wooden stalls, selling wooden toys and Christmas decorations, handcrafted gifts and seasonal foods, such as Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) and Lebkuchen (soft, spiced cookies).

Brass bands play and choirs sing carols, often written by Martin Luther himself. In fact, many Christmas traditions were supposedly instigated by the Protestant reformer 500 years ago. Legend insists one dark and starry night, Luther was touched by the beauty of the pine trees. On returning home, he cut down a tree, took it into his house and decorated it with candles. As well as the Christmas tree, Luther is credited with the idea of Christkind, the Christ child bringing presents. (Kris Kringle is still familiar in many U.S. homes). Concerned that Saint Nicholas, who delvered his gifts on December 6, was too popular, Luther came up with an alternative to “Santa Claus”: a golden angel, with wings and a crown.

Here are just some of Luther Country’s most authentic Christmas markets.

(clockwise) Christmas Stollen; Lebkuchen; Zimtsterne

ERFURT
November 27 – December 22
Although Erfurt’s 162nd Christmas Market spreads throughout the old town, the focus is on the Domplatz, the vast Cathedral Square. The 200 market booths sell everything from Thuringian bratwurst (Germany’s favorite grilled sausage) and Christmas cookies to handmade toys or traditional, handmade Christmas decorations. Children love the giant Ferris wheel,

the 90-foot-tall Christmas tree covered in candles, and the 40-foot-high wooden pyramid. Most of all, they love the nativity scene, set in a fairytale forest, complete with near life-sized, hand-carved figures. Gardeners should not miss the floral Christmas exhibition in the underground vaults of the cathedral.

LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG
November 28 – December 23
In the market square, a statue of Luther looks out across the Christmas market, with its stalls decorated with pine boughs, lights and Christmas ornaments. In the air is the scent of mulled wine and roasted almonds. Across the square is the Marienskirche (St. Mary’s Church), where Luther preached. Special are the town’s Adventshöfe, medieval courtyards, where local artists and craftsmen sell their wares. In the Cranach Courtyard, named for Luther’s great friend and painter Lucas Cranach, the weekend of December 8 and 9 features weavers and knitters, wood carvers and basket makers.

QUEDLINBURG
November 30 – December 23
With more than 1,300 half-timbered houses, Quedlinburg is one of Europe’s most romantic cities. And during the Christmas Market, strolling along the cobbled streets is like walking through history. One unique event is the “Advent in den Höfen” (December 1-2, 8-9, 15-16), when some 20 private courtyards open to sell special Christmas gifts, often handmade. Another highlight is the world’s largest Advent calendar! At 4:30 p.m. every afternoon for 24 days, children look out for the star that marks the house where the next scene in the Advent calendar will appear. When the door opens, fairytale characters appear and dance, sing or play for spectators.

WERNIGERODE
November 30 – December 22
Dominated by its 12th-century castle, Wernigerode’s annual Christmas market has a fairy story backdrop: a 15th-century town hall, half-timbered houses and a 35-foot-tall Christmas tree. The stalls serve traditional food and drink, hand-made toys and ornaments for the home; evenings are filled with concerts of seasonal music. From December 15 to January 8, 2013, the Castle hosts its own special Winter Market. Children meet a fairy at 3 p.m. and receive presents from St. Nikolaus (Santa Claus) at 4 p.m. They also love to ride the Christmas train in a historic carriage, pulled by a steam engine through the snow-covered countryside.

LAUSCHA
December 1-2 and 8-9
Each Christmas, this small town in a steep, wooded valley in the Thuringian Forest, plays a vital role in every American home. This is where the first glass Christmas tree ornaments were created in 1847. In 1880, F. W. Woolworth, the five-and-dime store pioneer, brought a batch of these glass balls to his store in Pennsylvania, and the rest is history. The tradition continues in Germany’s glassblowing capital, where you can watch artisans creating works of art at Lauscha’s Museum of Glass Art. At Lauscha’s annual Christmas “Kugelmarkt,” or glass bauble market, you can buy these handmade decorations in all shapes and colors.

WARTBURG CASTLE, EISENACH
December 1-2, 8-9, 15-16
Wartburg Castle is where Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, changed history when he translated the New Testament into German. And this UNESCO World Heritage Site just outside Eisenach is still a massively impressive fortress. At Christmas, however, a historic Christmas Market transforms the castle, with artists and street performers, craftsmen and knights. Meet candle makers and barrel makers, rope makers and lantern makers, minstrels and puppeteers. With cheerful booths and medieval decorations, this is a like a trip back in time. And the medieval food is delicious, from roast apples and honey to mead.

New Addition at the German Emigration Center

Photos courtesy of the German Emigration Center

View of new wing at the German Emigration Center (on right).

The Emigration Center at Bremerhaven, Germany, just added a new wing to the museum. Until now visitors ended their journey back in time through the staged and reconstructed rooms at the Ellis Island Receiving Station in New York; the journey now continues.

The new room “Office of the New World” is dedicated to the question: what did immigrants and the countries of immigration know about one another? Against the backdrop of a train station as a place of transit, the new staged and reconstructed room “Grand Central Terminal” shows the history of German immigrants in the U.S.A.

The new bridge connects the history of emigration with the history of immigration.

HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION IN THE NEW EXTENSION
On the first floor of the new building a mall with several commercial stores in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1973 has been reconstructed. Visitors trace the roots of immigrants: the shop windows display common, everyday objects together with the memorabilia of immigrant families, illustrating the stories of 15 immigration groups that came to Germany in the last 300 years. On the ground floor general information on immigration to Germany between 1685 and today can be found, as well as the family research area and the new “Roxy Cinema.” For more information, visit www.dah-bremerhaven.de/english.php

Cathedrals in Germany: Masterpieces Inside and Out

View of the Aachen Cathedral from Katschhof Square

Photos courtesy German National Tourist Office

Cathedrals, monasteries, walled fortresses and abbeys are a distinct part of Germany’s culture and landscape. Every town, city and countryside has a beautiful church or abbey, including many masterpieces.

Aachen’s cathedral, the Church of St. Mary, was founded as Charlemagne’s chapel and is where 30 kings were crowned. The immensely beautiful Romanesque cathedral of Speyer, only one hour south of Frankfurt, became the burial place for the Salian emperors, and its size is on par with the Cologne Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most visited tourism site and was at one time the biggest building in the world. Its high Gothic style is pronounced and the Dom is home to sacred relics and precious artwork. In Hildesheim, 45 minutes outside of Hannover, St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church are outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture.

AACHEN CATHEDRAL
The Church of St. Mary, originally built as the chapel of Charlemagne’s imperial palace in Aachen in 786 AD, was part of the emperor’s dream of creating a “new Rome.” With this building he laid the foundations of one of the most important architectural monuments in Europe. The cathedral’s appearance reflects more than 1,000 years of history. Charlemagne’s palatine chapel forms the core of the cathedral. The single-nave chancel was consecrated on the 600th anniversary of his death and the bold architecture of the “glass house” is as impressive today as it was then.

During the 600 years from 936 to 1531, 30 German kings were crowned in Aachen Cathedral. Today, the cathedral has lost nothing of the splendor of centuries past. The first ensemble of historical and architectural importance in Germany to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978, this is a building of outstanding significance.

SPEYER CATHEDRAL
The magnificent Romanesque imperial cathedral in Speyer is the town’s best-known and most prominent landmark. Built by emperors, the cathedral was a symbol of their power and served as their final resting place. Construction began around 1030 under the Salian Emperor Conrad II and the church was consecrated in 1061. Speyer’s imperial cathedral, laid out in the form of a Latin cross, is one of Germany’s largest and most important Romanesque buildings. The Salian emperors chose it to be their burial site.

Its huge triple-naved vaulted basilica is the central element of a design that greatly influenced Romanesque architecture in the 11th and 12th centuries. The hallmarks of the cathedral are the balanced distribution of its dimensions to the east and the west and the symmetrical layout of the structure, consisting of a nave and transept with four towers on the corners.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL
Building first began in 1248 on what eventually became one of the finest ecclesiastical edifices in the world, and the epitome of high-Gothic cathedral architecture in its purest possible form. The scale of Cologne Cathedral is evident from its two mighty towers. Completed in 1880, they dominate both the city and the surrounding region. At the time of its completion in the 19th century, the cathedral was the biggest building in the world.

The design of the west side was truly groundbreaking. It has the largest exterior surface of any church in the world, said to be around 23,000 square feet, and is flanked by two huge towers, each rising to a height of 515 feet. The cathedral houses a wealth of important art treasures, including colorful stained glass windows that bathe the church interior in a mysterious light; the Ottonian Gero Cross (around 980 AD), the oldest large-scale sculpture in the western world; the shrine housing the relics of the Three Kings (1190-1225), an outstanding example of Rhenish goldwork; the altar of the patron saints of Cologne by Stefan Lochner (around 1450), a masterpiece of the Cologne school.

ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL AND ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH IN HILDESHEIM
St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church are outstanding examples of early-Romanesque architecture. Both World Heritage churches exemplify the skill of Bishop Bernward (993 to 1022) and contain exceptional artworks.

The main attraction in St. Michael’s Church is the painted 13th century wooden ceiling depicting the Tree of Jesse. Germany’s only flat church ceiling, it is a fascinating example of monumental Romanesque painting. The spectacular cathedral treasure, Column of Christ and Bernward doors are characteristic of the Bernwardian period. The cathedral is being renovated for the anniversary of the diocese in 2015 and is closed until August 2014. Many of its treasures, including the huge bronze castings, can instead be seen at different places around Hildesheim until 2014.

The Column of Christ featuring scenes from the Old and New Testaments is on loan to St. Michael’s Church. The pair of two 16-ft. Bernward doors were cast in one piece—an achievement never mastered before—and are currently displayed at the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim.

For more info, go to www.friederisiko.de

The City of Beer and Fun: Munich; The City of Oktoberfest!

By Steve and Alison Ramsey

“Ozapft is!” exclaimed Munich’s Lord Mayor Christian Ude after opening the first keg of beer at noon on September 22, thus officially inaugurating the world famous German Octoberfest.

And following 16 days of beer, fun and Gemutlichkeit, the 2007 Munich Octoberfest closed its gates after 6.2 million people visited the biggest fair in the world.

This big city, with rural charm and friendly people, served 6.7 million glasses of beer, thousands of Hendl (chickens) and 104 oxen to the crowds that swarmed into the 14 large tents on the Octoberfest grounds right off of the Schwanthalerstrasse. As many as 10,000 people can be accommodated in some of the huge beer tents.

Alison Ramsey tasted and tested the beers at Octoberfest. A good reporter must get all the facts, and test all the flavors of beer before she files her report.

COLORFUL TENTS
The tents, which sometimes appear more like buildings, are highly colorful, and are decorated with painted murals, clouds and more to make them attractive to the visitors, some of which spend all day inside!

A special Octoberfest beer, brewed by Munich’s six major breweries, is served in the tents. The delicious draught is usually served with radishes, Obatzta (special cheese), sausages, roast chicken or grilled fish. And barbecue beef is a Wiesn specialty.

This year, as many as 80 different firms offered fair guests samplings of their foods, and more than 200 attractions greeted fair-goers as well, such as breathtaking rides like the Olympia Loop or the Power Tower, the Krinoline (merry-go-round), the Teufelsrad (Devil’s Wheel), the Toboggan and even a variety show.

HISTORY OF THE FAIR
The wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig–later King Ludwig I of Bavaria–and Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen in 1810, started the fair when the royal couple invited the people of Munich to celebrate in the fields in front of the city gates. The fields were named “Theresienwiese” in honor of the princess, and locals later abbreviated the name to “Wiesn.”

The annual Munich celebration starts off with a parade featuring festive carriages bearing the land-lords’ families, the horse-drawn drays of the Munich breweries, showmen’s coaches, waitresses on decorated floats and the beer tent bands. It’s quite a spectacle!

The following day the Munich Costume and Rifleman’s Parade features groups in traditional costumes, marching bands, troops of bandsmen and trumpeters, amateur and mountain riflemen. Performers of all kinds, decorated coaches and flower garlands are always main attractions of the parade. And the parade goes on even if the weather is bad!

European Traveler’s Steve Ramsey tests one of the giant pretzels at the 2007 Munich Octoberfest. Got a beer to go with this?

ONE LAST WORD, AND A FAMOUS BREW
Of course, one of Munich’s famous trademarks is the 418-year-old Hofbrauhaus, where beer lovers gravitate throughout the year. It’s a fun establishment that holds up to 3,000 guests at the same time. The beer house even has its own beer, served, of course, at Octoberfest.

Stay tuned for more beer news. We had a great time in Munich, so it’s likely we’ll be back! Let’s see…when is next year’s fair?