Fragrant steam rises from kettles of simmering mulled wine, sparks fly from burning logs stacked in iron braziers, and the scent of sizzling sausages fills the air at Germany’s fabled Christmas markets.
German Christkindl markets are a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, when merchants set up their stalls in front of the town church and locals would gather to eat, drink, shop, and celebrate the season. During the three weeks of Advent, town squares in major cities across the country become festive Christmas bazaars—decorated with trees, lights, and a carousel for children.
To see what Christkindl is really all about I spent a week with friends visiting small towns along the Danube, where people hugging mugs of glühwein (mulled wine) are neighbors, and the carved angel for sale was made by the local carpenter.
From Donaueschingen to Regensburg
Flowing through the southern states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria, the Danube cuts across Germany, separating the cultures of the Protestant north and the Catholic south. Our route ran from Donaueschingen in the west to Regensburg in the east, where every year the hereditary princes of Thurn and Taxis host a gala Christmas market. Along the way were dense storybook forests, snow-covered fields, wayside shrines, and gnarled apple trees hung with snowflakes like white blossoms.Donaueschingen, home of the princes of Furstenberg since 1723, is the source of the Danube, which rises from the waters of 15 natural springs. The Furstenberg family’s 50 or 60 horses lead privileged lives in palatial stables. Although far too opulent to stand in for Bethlehem, those stables host a lavish three-day Christmas market. Vendors bring their best offerings. Handmade jewelry competes with beeswax candles, elegantly sculpted wooden bowls, and hand-knit sweaters for best in show.
In one corner, I watched a man selling amaryllis bulbs in tiny clay pots as if they were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. At the waffle stand, where they were making waffles using dinkel or spelt—an ancient wheat that dates back to the Neolithic—the wafflemaker remarked, ‘You must be visiting family,’ as though I was one of the locals. This made me feel right at home.
Less than an hour’s drive away in the tiny town of Oberstadion, a barn dating to 1612 has been repurposed as a manger or Krippen Museum. Nativity scenes are another German tradition, and Sicilian artist Angela Tripi has sculpted, especially for the museum, exquisite figures of exceptional realism.
Glühwein is the drink of choice at Christmas markets, but who can go to Germany without sampling some of the 5,000 brands of beers brewed here? Not us. At the Kuchlbauer brewery in Abensberg, landmarked by an eccentric 70-meter (230-foot) tile-studded tower, we sampled a variety of wheat beers, or weissbier, a southern German specialty. The brewery tour didn’t take us too far from Christmas markets, since there was one nestled at the foot of Kuchlbauer Tower.
Oldest monastery in Germany
To take a break from the crowds, we decided to stay outside Regensburg at the guesthouse of the Benedictine monastery of Weltenburg. We had visited other monasteries like Schweikelberg Abbey, near Vilshofen, but Weltenburg was special.Located right on the Danube and founded by Irish monks around 600 C.E., Weltenburg is the oldest monastery in Germany. It also has the oldest brewery in the world, dating back to 1050. It was a cold night. Ice crystals glittered in the air above the river. Through my window I could hear the church bells ringing out the hour, and then all was quiet—the silent night of a German Christmas.
