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Christmas Markets in the Heidelberg Area
Outside Bavaria, some of the most interesting and beautiful Christmas markets
can be found in the Heidelberg area. Germany's third-most visited city hosts a
huge one that's spread across the whole downtown. Nearby Mannheim's market
is also huge. The small towns have great markets as well -- including
Schwetzingen, Bad Wimpfen, and Ladenburg (not shown here) -- that range from
truly medieval to totally modern.
| Heidelberg
-- With
Heidelberg being a significant tourist destination, it is not surprising
that it has a very big and very busy Christmas Market. In fact, this
market extends along the entire one-kilometer long Hauptstrasse, beginning
with a collection of huts at the Bismarckplatz at the west, and populating
each nook and cranny until the Kornmarkt below the Heidelberg
Castle! (The Heidelberg travelogue is
available here)
Munchies: Candy
covered almonds and roasted chestnuts
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There are five squares along
Heidelberg's main street that housed its annual Weihnachtsmarkt. The
city's main market square is shown here, with the Rathaus in the
background. In previous years, there was a large Christmas tree
here, but in 2004 they elected to place a large windwheel similar to those
in other markets.
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This is a shot of the Kornmarkt, the
square furthest to the east, directly below the Heidelberg Castle (which
you can partly see). The barn at the left is a petting zoo (Streichelzoo), which
held three donkeys. The Heidelberg Castle hosted
its usual large number of visitors, especially foreign tour groups who
gladly came down after the climb for a good warm dose of mulled wine!
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The largest and usually most crowded of the five squares is the
Universitatplatz,
in the middle of the main street, and that one has carousels and a
performance stage. This shot is taken from the back of the platz
toward to the University building.
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The Schillerplatz and Bismarckplatz
(shown here) host a handful of huts each. Bismarckplatz has the
advantage of being at the city's largest bus and streetcar station and its
largest downtown department store.
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| Mannheim
-- The Mannheim Christmas Market is also pretty large, surrounding the
famous Wasserturm at the entrance to the old city. We paid this one
a brief visit on the way to the downtown itself for some hardcore
Christmas gift shopping. Mannheim is a great place to shop! (The
Mannheim travelogue is located here)
Munchies: Deep-fried
calamari rings with horseradish sauce
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The market is pretty well
organized. The rides and kiddie zone were at the southwest side of
the square, long rows of food zones at the opposite end and the base of
the Wasserturm is wrapped around by huts selling specialty and craft
items. Roasted chestnut booths like this train were also common.
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The Wasserturm square was the perfect
place to have it, a very big open square near the heaviest traffic leading
to the downtown and near several of the largest parking lots. The
Wasserturm made a nice landmark.
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| Bad
Wimpfen
-- The Altdeutscher Christmas Market is the single most beautiful
small-town Christmas market that we have visited. Snaking through
just about the entire downtown, this market has everything available at
the bigger markets, but also has much more character due to its medieval
setting. Not well known among expats and travelers, but very well
known among the home town crowd. Only runs on a few weekends in
Advent. (The
Bad Wimpfen travelogue is located here) |
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By itself, this picture gives a
telling story of the city's rather vertical character. The huts
follow Bad Wimpfen's narrow and steep cobblestone streets to the famous
Stauferplatz at the top. |
This shot was taken from the
Stadtkirche, Bad Wimpfen's famous city church with the 15th century
calvary at the back. Each of Bad Wimpfen's squares has booths in it,
no space was wasted. |
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This shot gives a grand view of how
wonderfully the Christmas Market embraces the beauty of this tiny
town. Not far from this point was a small meeting hall that hosted
the town's Nativity-making contest. Contestants from the town
competed in different age groups and the results ranged from traditional
to artistic to totally abstract. |
Bad Wimpfen also hosted a separate
hidden market in honor of its partner city in Finland. This
gentleman is smoking fresh salmon the old fashioned way -- fastened to
wooden boards before an open fire. Other Finnish delicacies (esp.
alcoholic) were available, but not cheap. |
| Schwetzingen
-- The Schwetzingen Christmas Market is the youngest of any market we've
visited, celebrating only its 12th year in 2004. This is a very
modern setting, eschewing the traditional wooden huts for larger and
cheaper canvas tents. Nonetheless it accommodates large crowds
pretty nicely. (The
Schwetzingen travelogue is located here) |
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Schwetzingen's market had an
international flavor to it, with tents reserved for various ethnic groups
and cultures to peddle traditional wares. Of course, German wares
were plentiful. |
Although one of the smaller markets,
this one had plenty of entertainment -- from the kiddie train shown here
to rock-n-roll concerts and street musicians. |
