At the Christmas Market in Dresden this week.

Remember our older post about Dresden's Christmas Market? It is the oldest and is celebrating its 580th year this time! It's on till the 24th of December, but there are some special events along the way for visitors.

On Friday, the 12th is the Night of the Stars or also called Stars of the Night. On this day the shops will stay open till 11 pm and sell their goods at special prices. Be there! Not bought your stollen yet? Here is your chance.

On Saturday the 13th is the Dresden Pyramid Festival, and the Pyramid here refers to the giant wooden candle pyramid in the middle of the Striezel-, or Christmas Market. This is an oversized model of little wooden pyramids that are actually candle holders, and can be purchased in the market.
Although called pyramids they look rather like wooden fir trees. This is because they are a tapering carousel with many levels and have wooden figures, mostly angels or other christian motifs, at each level. This entire conical shape is topped off by a propeller that spins when the warm smoke from the candles rises.
It has been suggested that this pyramid is the predecessor of the Christmas tree.

The worlds largest such wooden 'pyramid' is in Dresden's Striezelmarket and is 14.5 meteres high. On the night of The Dresden Pyramid Festival the figures and the scenes at the six levels come to life. Should be magical, a fairy tale come to life!

Dresden and Dresden Walks: Open to the world

Dresden is for everyone! This is the motto of the march that will take place in Dresden on Monday the 8th December.

The people of Dresden believe, and would like to show to the world, that they accept and welcome people from all walks of life, from all countries, of all religions, all ages, color and sexual orientation. And in order to state this loud and clear they will march to take a stand against PEGIDA.

Dresden Walks is an international team and we will be ceratinly taking part in the march. In case you are in Dresden and this is an issue close to your heart, you could do so as well. The beginning is at 4:30 pm from the Neustadt Train Station and will end in the city centre. 

The Dresdner Stollenfest

Today was the Dresden 'Stollenfest', a great festival with a lively procession through the city centre featuring a Stollen- the christmas cake particular to and only original from the Dresden region. The stollen that is paraded in the festival is not a regular one however. Last year it weighed more than 4000 kilos!

The stollen is taken through the city in a horse drawn carriage accompanied by master bakers and a beautiful Stollen Maiden, unveiled to the public with great pomp and finally cut up into 500 gram squares at the 'Striezelmarkt' Christmas Market. These are then sold for a good cause. The ceremonial sword used to cut the cake up is 1.6 meters long and weighs 12 Kilos. I am sure it needs some practice to wield this sweet sword!

Last year the festival had more than a 150 000 visitors. It seemed to me that we had more this time than last year. We certainly hope you were one of them. And if not, be here next year and walk with us after the procession! Here are some photographs from our walk this morning.

Waiting to start the walk with Heike at our meeting point 

Katharina sets off with her group

DRESDEN UNDER THE BANNER OF CHRISTMAS

DRESDEN UNDER THE BANNER OF CHRISTMAS – DRESDEN WALKS WELCOMES YOU TO TOURS IN THE BLAZE OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Even before the first Advent, Dresden is transformed into a proper Christmas landscape from the main train station in the south to the New Town on the other side of the Elbe river – and in the middle is one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany, the Striezelmarkt. This year it takes place for the 580th time.
Its name derives from the pastry that is inseparably connected in Saxony to Christmas: the Christmas stollen, also called Striezel, an elongated yeast pastry. It was consumed at the end of the Middle Ages during the pre-Christmas Lent. In the spirit of renunciation the church forbade to bake the stollen with butter and milk. In response to petitions of two Saxon princes, Ernst and Albrecht from the House of Wettin, the Pope issued in 1491 the “butter letter” that allowed the Saxon bakers to use richer ingredients. The Striezel was now also introduced to the Dresden Christmas market, in 1500 it was sold there for the first time – and certainly contributed to the famous reputation of the market.

The Striezelmarkt, drawing every year up to 2.5 million visitors from around the world, still celebrates today the art of Stollen baking – with a Stollen parade and festival. Everything revolves around a giant stollen, which is baked by several Dresden bakers and driven through the city before it is sold to the visitors of the Striezelmarkt for charitable purposes.

In addition to the large Striezelmarkt with over 200 merchants and artisans, grand fir and giant pyramid – several more Christmas markets attract guests with a unique atmosphere: such as the Medieval Christmas spectacle in the Royal Stables with candlelight, the Christmas market on the Hauptstraße with international specialties, the Romantic Christmas Market Anno 1900 on the Neumarkt, the Christmas market at the Church of Our Lady. Also the Loschwitz Christmas market near the Blue Wonder Bridge is a traditional highlight of the pre-Christmas bustle.

Dresden Walks also puts you in the mood for Christmas during our daily Walking tours- with numerous entertaining information about Christmas customs and traditions in Dresden and Saxony – and a small surprise treat at the end.

What is in that little green box? Walk with us to find out!

Contributed by Iris & Katharina