# Christmas Markets



## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

Slartibartfas said:


> I think it is also because they have gained popularity within Germany and Austria as well. Moreover these markets are a welcome tool of bringing live to streets downtown in an otherwise dark and cold season. Urban renewal authorities obviously love that idea.
> 
> Btw, about the Christkindlmarkt in Birmingham. I find it interesting that it is actually largely German run. I would expect that in most cities they are run by locals.


So these Christmas markets were a somewhat smaller affair in Germany/Austria only 20-30 years ago?

Even in Chicago I gather a guess and say over half seem to be German nationals particularly the food vendors. The Chicago market seems to attempt to stay pretty authentically German without much in terms of local variety of foods/drink. 

No doubt there is a certain "cache" to keeping the market authentically German which appeals to my German roots I do find it a bit pretentious to actively refuse to inject some more local variety alongside German staples.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

nomarandlee said:


> So these Christmas markets were a somewhat smaller affair in Germany/Austria only 20-30 years ago?


Yes, I would say so, relatively. But its of course not like they didn't exist back then. They _do_ have a long tradition but I have the impression that they grew over the years. In the centre, every second square seems to have a christmas market nowadays in Vienna. 



> Even in Chicago I gather a guess and say over half seem to be German nationals particularly the food vendors. The Chicago market seems to attempt to stay pretty authentically German without much in terms of local variety of foods/drink.
> 
> No doubt there is a certain "cache" to keeping the market authentically German which appeals to my German roots I do find it a bit pretentious to actively refuse to inject some more local variety alongside German staples.


This is a very interesting debate because markets here are not German run nor are they considered German. But then, this is nothing exotic here either. Mulled wine, "Punsch", sweets, ginger bread, handcraft, christmas kitsch etc are like it is supposed to be. Many of the boot owners are artists or vendors from the surrounding area. 

I don't know many christmas markets outside of Austria personally but I have been to the one in Bratislava two times. I would say their market is also run mostly by local people. It also is a bit different. They have much more boots that sell grilled meat dishes. This is very weird when you are used to Viennese markets but the christmas kitsch isn't all too different, maybe a bit more commercialized but they do have nice handcraft poduces as well. 

I think Chicago and also those places in the UK see something different in the christmas markets. Austrians, but also Slovaks seem to see merely a Christmas market, while the Britons and Americans don't see a Christmas market but rather a "German thing", like the winter edition of the Oktoberfest.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

goschio said:


> Thats a weird way to put it. Even within todays Germany, different cities develoepd their own chritmas market tradtion independent of other german cities. There is no such thing as Austria here and Germany there.


Hm, maybe I worded it in a misleading way. It was not my intention to create two categories of "German Christmas markets" vs "Austrian Christmas markets". Of course thats nonsense. I merely wanted to say that Christmas markets are not considered to be a "German thing" here, like this is obviously the case in Birmingham for example. It is as you've said it, the markets developed in a larger area in various cities parallel and traditions vary rather from city to city than from country to country.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

marobara said:


> I know a few places in Kraków that serve it all year round.


I should keep that in mind. After all I'll have to visit Krakow - eventually.


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

Slartibartfas said:


> Hm, maybe I worded it in a misleading way. It was not my intention to create two categories of "German Christmas markets" vs "Austrian Christmas markets". Of course thats nonsense. I merely wanted to say that Christmas markets are not considered to be a "German thing" here, like this is obviously the case in Birmingham for example. It is as you've said it, the markets developed in a larger area in various cities parallel and traditions vary rather from city to city than from country to country.


Yes, thats what I mean. 

Think its strange that a country like the UK didn't develop their own christmas market tradition. They have christmas and market squares. But for some reason they never made the last step.


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## Wunderknabe (Jun 29, 2010)

Berlin has around 60 Weihnachtsmärkte. Including very beautiful ones like
the one at Gendarmenmarkt:








( http://www.dasberlinblog.de/weihnachtsmarkt-in-berlin-die-schoenste-zeit-des-jahres-geniessen.html )


Sure they are nice and I visit at least one every year. But its starting to get to much.
Just pure profiteering when its so overdone.


Just to add: Berliner Weihnachtsmarkt 1935








( http://www.viptapete.de/fototapeten/weihnachten.htm )


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## jeromeee (Oct 16, 2009)

The christmas market in Frankfurt dates back to 1393 and attracts about 3 million people yearly.

The market on the Römerberg Square, the Commerzbank tower in the background








http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankfurter_weihnachtsmarkt_nacht.jpg

A drawing from 1876:








http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankfurt_Weihnachtsmarkt_1876.jpg


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## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

I recently visited the Copenhagen Cristmas market at the Tivoli. It's the most visited in Scandinavia.


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## KingNick (Sep 23, 2010)

Gotta love Christkindlmarkets. You get to be outside in winter and yet don't feel the cold, since you're probably already hammered from hot mulled wine and turbo punch. :banana:


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Christmas market lunch today, roast crackling pork, herb dumplings and cabbage £6/EUR7/$9.25


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

In France, we had some traditional Christmas markets in eastern city like Strasbourg but as in many european countries those markets spread all over the country in the last decade.

In Paris, the biggest Christmass market is located in La Défense.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I visited the Christmas Market at the Distillery District here in Toronto today, and quite enjoyed it. For those who have never visited it, the Distillery District is the site of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery, founded in 1832. Today it is an entertainment quarter, with restaurants, bars and artistic shops:























































they had wood burning braziers _everywhere_ to keep people warm!










also tons of booze to keep people warm (which works faster than braziers):


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

After fighting my way into the Mill Street brewpub, and patiently waiting for a stool at the bar, I was crushed
to discover they no longer have their incredibly delicious Steak and Stilton pie-n'-peas, made with their stout. 



















I took the fish n' chips, which were okay but not what I had been craving:



















Kind of made us feel like we were living under an underpass in the Bronx, warming our hands over a barrel fire!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

there must have been a thousand people there, and about 200 baby strollers:























































dozens of little wooden sheds, constructed by the sponsor Lowe's.....










Santa's elves... couldn't get into his grotto, as the lineup snaked back and forth:



















they had an outdoor stage with entertainment all day. A local troupe of Ukrainian dancers. The boy on the 
left is levitating:



















a Merry-Go-Round:



















These things kind of look like Roger's head, from American Dad:























































The Victorian gas street lights are charming:


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## Name user 1 (Feb 13, 2011)

*Christmas markets and food around Slovakia*

all towns above 5 000 population usually set up Christmas markets in Slovakia for around 5 weeks 













































































































poppy, cottage cheese, nut or apple strudels types










loksa - potato cake with jam, poppy and chocolate or another type with duck fat and meat










mead 6 per cent alcohol content drink, recipe is from early middle ages 










pork and chicken grilled meat


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

It's a great excuse to get out of the house, take in some fresh cold air and shop/socialize a bit!

I just realize I overdid it with the number of photos I posted last night. Sorry 'bout that!


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## DiggerD21 (Apr 22, 2004)

As I have a shitty camera, which is useless for nightshots, I just post this promotional video of the christmas market in Wroclaw. The impressions shown are from last year, but this year it looks basically the same.


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

*2011 Chicago christkindlmarket*


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

There reasoning behind each is written more in dept if you open link....



> http://news.yahoo.com/travel-picks-top-10-christmas-markets-132341760.html?bouchon=602,il
> 
> 
> Travel Picks: Top 10 Christmas markets
> ...


....


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

This ranking certain is a bit funny. Dublin's market is recommended because of its "Germanness" while the first German christmas market in the ranking comes below Dublin's. Weird.


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