Chemnitz Christmas Market 2017
- Mayor Miko Runkel will open the Chemnitz Christmas market on Friday, 1 December at 4 pm with Father Christmas and the cutting of stollen
- Christmas tree: approx. 70 to 80 years old and approx. 27 metres high - will be erectedon Saturday, 18 November at around 5 p.m.
- Mulled wine cup: in blue and in the same shape as 2016, miner motif
- Varied programme with events, activities and handicrafts for young and old
Erzgebirge tradition - year after year
During the Advent season, the Christmas market area around Chemnitz Town Hall and the decorated town hall light up, a magical mixture of incense candles, mulled wine and culinary delights and treats attracts visitors to the displays, atmospheric music can be heard from the can or live on the large stage on Neumarkt, and Father Christmas and his entourage are on site every evening.
The rustic basis for the traditionally decorated Christmas village is once again provided by over 200 huts: Construction begins on Monday, 20. November with 173 stands on Markt and Neumarkt, Rosenhof, Jakobikirchplatz and Richard-Möbius-Straße, 15 stands on Düsseldorfer Platz - here again with the Erzgebirgsdorf and two-storey mill tavern.ckige Mühlenschänke - as well as 30 historical stalls in Innere Klosterstraße, which will once again host the traditional Chemnitz Klosterweihnacht with its medieval market.
Opening with Mayor Miko Runkel
The Chemnitz Christmas Market will be opened by Mayor Miko Runkel on Friday, 1 December at 4 pm with the traditional stollen cutting ceremony. He will be supported by Father Christmas and fairy-tale characters. The ten-kilo, 1.30 metre long stollen is once again from the Pietschmann bakery in Chemnitz.
The opening song "Vorfreude schönste Freude" (Anticipation is the greatest joy) was newly produced by the Chemnitz Municipal Music School.
The Christmas market is open on the opening day from 4 pm to 9 pm, from 2 December to 22 December daily from 10 am to 9 pm and on 23 December, the last day, from 10 am to 8 pm.
Every evening at 5 pm, Father Christmas (Claus Höhne and Rolf Pfüller) visits the fairytale stage and brings a fairytale surprise, performed by the Fritz Theatre. This year's programme includes new fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Mother Hulda, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, The Brave Little Tailor and Snow White.
Girls and boys aged four to six who would like to meet Father Christmas directly on stage should send a letter, including a picture they have drawn themselves, to register for the Christmas flying visit - here is the address:
Weihnachtsmarktstudio der Stadt Chemnitz, Marktwesen, 09106 Chemnitz (see also PM 658 dated 1 November 2017).
Large traditional Christmas market
From 1 to 23 December, visitors and guests to the Chemnitz Christmas market can expect an extensive and varied range of original Erzgebirge folk art, typical tree decorations, Advent decorations and many culinary delights. There are 173 stands with 167 huts and six fairground rides and a children's area. 23 food and drink vendors and 8 retailers are new this year. A modern dishwashing centre will also be used. (32 new registrations in total)
A total of 58 stands will be offering activities and handicrafts (from smoked candle making to show woodturning and carving to show distilleries and candy making) as well as exhibits such as the original humpback mine.
This year, 25 new municipal huts with a size of 7 square metres have been added.
In addition, the seating areas, which were redesigned in 2014 and are partially covered, once again invite visitors to linger. The six photo terminals, which were offered for the first time in 2015, are also a must this year.
Chemnitz Monastery Christmas
One of the attractions is the historical market organised by Bibow Communikations GmbH as part of the Chemnitz Christmas market programme since 2005 with the "Chemnitzer Klosterweihnacht" in Innere Klosterstraße with 30 historical stalls.
The bakery and tavern, shooting castle, smithy, leatherworkers and many more as well as the bathhouse have a long tradition. Register for the "bath in the crowd" at baden@suendenfrei.de
On the stage in Klosterstraße, there is a music programme every hour on the Advent weekends on Fridays and Saturdays from 3 pm to 8 pm and on Sundays from 2 pm to 6 pm. Jugglery and fire shows can also be experienced every hour on Fridays and Saturdays from 3.30 pm to 7.30 pm and on Sundays from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
On the first Advent, the music theatre "Scharlatan" and the fire and fairy tale juggler Braxas A., on the second Advent the minstrels "Die Streuner" and the Pyrokatharsis fire jugglers and on the third Advent the music theatre "Scharlatan" and the master of fire, Parveus, show their skills.
Every day from 4 pm on the half hour, Grimm's fairy tales are shown in the "mini cinema of the Middle Ages" at the Laterna Magica.
Ore Mountain Village
The "Erzgebirgsdorf" on Düsseldorfer Platz offers 15 stands including the two-storey mill tavern, e.g. a mulled wine pyramid, arts and crafts products and regional culinary specialities as well as offers for children, such as crafting smoke houses and tree decorations or baking biscuits. New this year are Christmas tree sales, game specialities, raclette, foam kisses and offers for vegetarians. The event is organised by Event Catering Restaurant GmbH.
If you lose your bearings at the Christmas market, you can also follow the ten signposts.
In addition to numerous hearty dishes and delicious treats (including roasted almonds, nuts and gingerbread, of course), mulled wine and the mulled wine huts will once again be a popular attraction and meeting point for visitors at the 2017 Chemnitz Christmas market. And it's not just the winter drink, which is offered in a wide variety of recipes, but also the mulled wine cup itself that is a tradition in Chemnitz and has long since become a collector's item for some visitors to the Christmas market.
The mulled wine cup has been a tradition at the Chemnitz Christmas market since 1995, always in a different colour: After light, dark and cobalt blue, light and dark green, light and dark purple, brown, red, orange, apricot and various two-coloured versions, such as beige on the outside and fiery red on the inside or beige on the outside and green on the inside with a half-relief on the cup's belly, most recently in red and in a slim shape with the motif of an angel on it, this year the cup is in blue with a miner motif and in the 2016 shape. 40,000 units were ordered for this year's Christmas market. The new plates and soup bowls are also all in the same blue colour.
Design of the Christmas market
The Erzgebirge character of the Christmas market is traditionally continued with pyramids, candle arches, music boxes, snowmen, smokers, miners and angels.
A total of around 15,000 lights illuminate the Christmas market.
Special attractions
Once again this year, one of the special visual attractions of the Chemnitz Christmas market is the twelve-metre-high Christmas pyramid created by the "8th of May" carving circle in 1986 on its site between Neumarkt and Markt: 21 human and three animal figures as well as twelve trees tell the story of everyday life in the Ore Mountains over five floors. In 2016, the "Peremett" was given a new body and the figures have been replaced piece by piece over the past few years based on the originals; the remaining original figures can be viewed in the foyer of the town hall on the market square.
The 5 x 2 metre, 200-kilogram original candle arch by craftsman Claus Döhler from Sosa, which has been decorating one of the festively decorated entrances to the Christmas market since 1993, also pays homage to the Christmas land.
The giant music box, which was reissued on behalf of the town in 2013, was built by Erzgebirgische Holzkunst Gahlenz GmbH in the image of the music box that has been a fixture at the Christmas market since 2002.
The scene of "Bescherung in einer Weihnachtsstube" ("Giving presents in a Christmas parlour") rotates on a plate 4.40 metres in diameter every half hour, every quarter and three quarters of an hour, from 10.45 a.m. to 6.45 p.m., to the Christmas tunes of the musical mechanism.
The well-known traditional Erzgebirge figures in the decorated area also include: the miner and angel (each 1.80 metres high) since 2009, the snowman (also 1.80 metres high) since 2010 and the smoking man (1.90 metres high) since last year. All four figures are made by Erzgebirgische Holzkunst Gahlenz GmbH.
Preventive measures for general safety
For several years now, the Chemnitz Christmas Market has had a security concept that has been agreed with the police and is updated and updated annually. This includes a risk analysis of all possible situations. Measures to minimise the security risk are planned for potential hazards. For example, containers filled with sand are placed on some access routes to the Christmas market, as was the case at this year's city festival.
All communication channels have been revised to ensure that the police and emergency services can be contacted at all times. The police and city security service will increase their patrols of the Christmas market.
Christmas tree 2017
The atmospheric, gleaming centrepiece of the Christmas market is a spruce tree around 27 metres tall, which will be delivered to the market at the town hall at around 5 pm on Saturday, 18 November and put up. (See press release 664 from 3 November)
The tree, which is around 70 to 80 years old, comes from Sachsenforst, Tannenbergsthal forest district in the Vogtland region.
Until the tree arrives, the waiting time can be shortened by enjoying a pre-Christmas barbecue and mulled wine - another pre-Christmas tradition in Chemnitz. Once the tree has arrived at the market on Saturday afternoon, the pre-Christmas season in Chemnitz has finally begun.
The octagonal round bench, created in 2012 by employees of the Parks Department and built from local English oak, is of course once again installed around the Christmas tree.
Shining lights
The tree will be adorned with 820 lights - the lighting will begin on Monday, 20 November.
A total of around 15,000 lights will illuminate the Chemnitz Christmas market in festive splendour.
Cultural offerings
There are almost 300 cultural events in the packed 2017 Christmas market programme: these include the Great Mountain Parade on the day before the 1st Advent and the daily carillon (11 am, 2 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm, 2 pm with additional Christmas music). A total of 145 events (including 22 without a fee) take place on the stage at Neumarkt. The stage has been an integral part of the Christmas market since 2000. There are also four tower blowing concerts (new every Saturday! 10.15 am), 8 carillon concerts and four guided tours of the town hall. There are also numerous activities at the medieval market and in the "Erzgebirgsdorf".
In addition, two symphony orchestra organs can be heard daily from 4.35 pm to 4.55 pm. The two organs, built in 1904, will be played on the Neumarkt (at the Super 8 double loop) and on the Rosenhof (at the sports carousel).
Crafts to look at, marvel at and take part in
Visitors can look forward to a total of around 60 activities and craft demonstrations in huts and on the Christmas market site. These include sawing large figures, making smoked candles, making bobble hats and various treats, painting lampshades, show splicing and sailor's knots, the popular sheepfold and much more.
Awards
The Chemnitz Christmas market has an excellent reputation as a popular attraction for visitors from all over Germany and beyond, and not just in the traditional "Christmas land of the Erzgebirge": the local broadcaster MDR has named the Chemnitz Christmas market as one of the most beautiful, atmospheric and authentic of its kind three times.
Big mountain parade
One of the impressive highlights of the pre-Christmas period in Chemnitz is the 39th Great Mountain Parade through the city centre on Saturday, 2 December, starting at 2 pm.
Once again, more than 1,000 participants will present this tradition: 711 people in uniform, 357 mountain musicians and 18 mountain singers will be seen in the always impressive parade, opening the Christmas season in the Ore Mountains.
From 13:30 there will be a pre-concert in the town hall park with the music corps of the town of Olbernhau, the Saigerhüttenkapelle Olbernhau-Grünthal and the Neustädtel singing group.
As usual, the mountain parade starts at 2 pm at the theatre square.
The route leads along Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Richard-Tauber-Straße, Straße der Nationen and Brückenstraße to the Stadthallenpark. The grand closing ceremony will take place here at 2.30 pm.
(You will receive a separate press release about this).
Days of Erzgebirge folklore
Under the motto "Advent in the Ore Mountains", the town hall traditionally hosts the
The detailed programme, which includes music, song and dance performances as well as guided tours by Erzgebirge craftspeople and many hands-on activities, is available online at www.c3-chemnitz.de.
Advertising and information material:
A leaflet with a print run of 20,000 copies was published by the city of Chemnitz to advertise the 2017 Christmas market. They were sent throughout Germany as well as to Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the Christmas market is advertised in national magazines and travel magazines as well as on 100 City Light posters in Chemnitz. Current and interesting information will also be provided regularly via social media, such as Facebook.
All information about the Chemnitz Christmas Market 2017 at:
www.chemnitz.de/weihnachtsmarkt
Copyright: City of Chemnitz/Press Office