Dresden Striezelmarkt – Christmas Fair at the Altmarkt

With a history dating back to 1434, the Dresden Striezelmarkt is one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets and each year some 2.5 million people visit the Altmarkt (Old Market) to join in this Christmas fair.

The people of Dresden are pretty crazy about their Christmas markets as well.  The Dresden Striezelmarkt has made the Guinness Book of World Records on a couple of counts:

• Its Erzgebirge step pyramid made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 at 14.62 metres tall. You can climb this pyramid for a view of the city.
• Dresden Striezelmarkt also holds the world record for the largest stollen at 4.2 tonnes.
• And, in 2009, they’ve also entered their 13.5 metre wide Christmas arch into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The name Striezelmarkt is derived from Hefestriezel, a sweet treat which later became known as the Dresden Christollen, a German Christmas cake. Dresden’s stollen is world famous and its Stollenfest is one of the highlights of the Striezelmarkt. The Stollen Festival takes place on the Saturday before the second Sunday in Advent which is December 4th this year.

Dresden Striezelmarkt © Dresden Marketing

The Dresden Striezelmarkt starts on November 26 and visitors can expect to find traditional Christmas handicraft, hand-blown glass baubles, candles, pottery and much more. Then there’s traditional foods such as crêpes, ginger bread, sugar roasted almonds, candy floss and stuffed roasted apples, stollen and mulled wine to keep visitors warm.

Nearby to the Dresden Striezelmarkt, there are other Christmas markets taking place, such as the Advent at the Neumarkt, a traditional Christmas market by the Frauenkirche, a Christmas market for gourmands in the inner courtyard of the Kurlander Palace, a romantic Christmas market by the Royal Palace and an Advents spectacle in the Royal Mews.

Event : Dresden Striezelmarkt
Place  : Dresden Altmarkt
Dates : November 26 – December 24
Times : 10:00 – 21:00 daily (the market carries on till 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)

Other Events:

December 4th – Stollen Festival

December 5th – A Swinging Christmas at the Lukaskirche. Enjoy music by Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, etc.

For further information on Dresden Christmas markets, visit Dresden Tourism website at www.dresden-tourist.de.