A stroll across the famous Nuremberg Christmas Market in the middle of the festively decorated old town is like a trip to a Christmas wonderland: freshly scented gingerbread as far as the eye can see, lovingly arranged in the glass cases where the string lights of the green fir-branch decorations sparkle; rustic, inviting wooden huts where hot mulled wine is served in a cozy, old-world atmosphere; and a historic mail coach making its way to the Christmas post office through Nuremberg's old town with jingling bells and clip-clopping hooves. Welcome to the Franconian Christmas market that enchants not only the people of Nuremberg!
The classic Christmas market in Nuremberg's old town
Nearly 200 vendors offer their goods at the Nuremberg Christmas market. Most of them have a tradition in Nuremberg: fine Nuremberg gingerbread, fruit bread, and other treats from the regional Christmas bakery, but also Nuremberg bratwurst and the Nuremberg 'Zwetschgenmännla' made of dried plums. At the center of the stalls on the main market, traditionally trimmed with red-and-white fabric and real fir branches, stands a nativity scene of wood and straw. In the open nativity building, the Christmas story is reenacted - with about 30 wooden figures, some in Franconian costume. All around in every direction, the people who come from all over the world to marvel at the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt enjoy delicious gingerbread and mulled wine. In the warm glow of the romantic lighting, they buy gifts and keepsakes, handmade Christmas ornaments, and tasty spices. But that's just the classic Christmas market - there's more!
Christmas goes international: the sister cities' market
Not far from the main market, the sister cities' market at the town hall square connects directly to the classic Christmas market. Here you'll find not the traditional goods from Franconia but from all over the world: sweet shortbread from Scotland, mulled wine from Switzerland, crafts from Turkey, beaded jewelry from China, Venetian masks from Italy, and much more. 22 stalls from countries far and wide really do make the world feel like a village here, and no two stalls are alike. Nicaragua, Greece, Sri Lanka, Cuba, and the United States, as well as other countries, invite you to take a close look at each stall. Many of the international specialties are otherwise hard to come by - especially baked goods and spirits from faraway countries. This is your chance!
A Nuremberg Christmas tradition for centuries
When the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt first took place is unknown - that's how old the Christmas market already is. One of the oldest pieces of evidence is a softwood box kept at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg. The inscription inside points to the year 1628 and the 'Kindles-Marck.' The old-fashioned term 'Christkendleinsmarck,' however, was explicitly documented in 1697, and by that point - more than three centuries ago at the latest - the Christmas character of the market must have taken shape. Before that, mainly everyday goods were sold, as historians suspect. Letters from the Nuremberg councilman Willibald Pirckheimer (1470 to 1530), however, tell of nuns who were already looking for spices at the market in 1530. This likely refers to the early Christkindlesmarkt.
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the Christkindlesmarkt faded into the background and was even moved away from the main market for a time. Only in 1933 did it return, ceremonially revived with an actress dressed as the Christ Child. During the Second World War, though, the Christmas market was paused - it wasn't reopened in the destroyed old town until 1948. This time the Nuremberg actress Sofie Keeser played the Christ Child, and since 1966 a young woman has held the office of the Christ Child for two years at a time. Two highlights in the history of the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt came in 1986 with the addition of the sister cities' market and in 1990 with the Nuremberg Children's Christmas.
The Children's Christmas at the Nuremberg
For children, Christmas is something special. That's why a visit to the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is an experience the little ones look forward to every year. On Hans-Sachs-Platz next to the main market, the Nuremberg Children's Christmas has been held since 1999 - and it's a celebration for the whole family. The magic of childlike Christmas joy is created there with all sorts of hands-on attractions: on the nativity trail, children and their parents see nativity scenes of various styles; with a nostalgic carousel and a steam train there's kid-friendly rides; and the many hands-on booths are surely the highlight of the Nuremberg Children's Christmas. In the Christmas bakery, a candle-making shop, and a glass workshop, the youngsters pitch in with gusto. At other hands-on booths, children can try their hand at wood burning, for example. Haven't written your wish list yet? Then off to the museum's children's post office, where sons and daughters write their letter to the Christ Child and then hand it over to the post. After that it's on to the festively decorated St. Nicholas house, where St. Nicholas answers the little ones' burning questions and is happy to hand them a gift their parents prepared. By the time the visit to the Children's Christmas is over at the latest, the children are in a Christmas mood - and more than ready for the gift-giving on Christmas Eve.
