Mayor opens the Chemnitz Christmas Market 2013
Tomorrow (29 November), 4 p.m., the traditional stollen cutting ceremony will kick off the Christmas season in Chemnitz, the pre-Christmas season in Chemnitz - 35th Great Mountain Parade on Saturday (30 November), 2 p.m. - MDR Christmas tour on Monday (2 December) from 12 noon to 7 p.m. at the Chemnitz Christmas market
Tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm, the pre-Christmas season begins in Chemnitz city centre: Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig will open the Chemnitz Christmas Market 2013 with the traditional stollen cutting ceremony, supported by Chemnitz Father Christmas and the city's tower keeper. Chemnitz bakery Pietschmann is once again responsible for the delicious Christmas biscuits - 1.30 metres long and weighing ten kilos.
The shining centrepiece of the Chemnitz Christmas market on the decorated area between Rosenhof, Markt and Neumarkt, Klosterstraße, Düsseldorfer Platz and Richard-Möbius-Straße will be the 78-year-old and 28-metre-high Christmas spruce on the market at the pre-Christmas decorated town hall.
The Christmas marketis open on the opening day from 4 pm to 9 pm, from Saturday, 30 November to Sunday, 22 December daily from 10 am to 9 pm, and on 23 December, the last day of the Christmas market, from 10 am to 8 pm. On Saturdays, the Türmer calls his hourly call from the High Tower of the Old Town Hall as early as 10 a.m. During the Christmas market, he concludes the hustle and bustle every evening at 8:55 p.m. with an hourly call from the Neumarkt stage (one hour earlier on 23 December).
Father Christmas - Klaus Höhne and his deputy Ralf Pfüller - has his regular appointment on the Christmas market stage in the late afternoon and is always expected on the stage at 5 pm sharp with a fairytale surprise in his luggage.
The rustic basis for the Christmas village, decorated in the traditional Christmas colours of red, gold and green, are the more than 200 huts in the area around the town hall.sseldorfer Platz with the Erzgebirgsdorf including the "Mühlenschänke", while the Innere Klosterstraße is once again traditionally reserved for the Chemnitz Klosterweihnacht with its medieval market. In addition to treats and mulled wine, the tradition at the Chemnitz Christmas market also includes the mulled wine cup, which has been available in a new colour every year since 1995: after light, dark and cobalt blue, light and dark green, light and dark purple, brown, red, orange and even apricot, the 2013 cup is beige on the outside and festive wine red on the inside.
One of the eventful pre-Christmas highlights in Chemnitz over the next few days will definitely be the 35thGreat Mining Parade: "Glück auf, der Steiger kommt!" - the impressive parade of the mining brotherhoods of the Ore Mountains on Saturday, 30 November at 2 p.m. will include 668 people in uniform from 31 clubs as well as 261 mountain musicians from seven mountain bands and 18 mountain singers from the Neustädtel singing group. Mayor Barbara Ludwig will welcome the participants to the Great Mountain Parade, which is traditionally organised on the day before the 1st Advent. Thousands of Chemnitz residents and guests from near and far are sure not to miss this year's major event in the Ore Mountains. Note for visitors: If you are making your way to Chemnitz city centre, please take into account the temporary traffic restrictions on the parade route between Theaterplatz and Stadthallenvorplatz (PM 754 from 25.11.2013).
After an eventful first Christmas market weekend, this will continue on Monday (2 December): From 12 noon to 7 pm, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk will be stopping off at the Chemnitz Christmas market as part of its programme for this year's MDR Christmas tour across Saxony and will be reporting from Christmasland from here. Incidentally, the local MDR has already honoured the Chemnitz Christmas market three times as one of the most beautiful, atmospheric and authentic of its kind - a popular attraction for visitors from all over Germany and beyond every year.
Internet: Information on the Christmas market, including the stage programme and the Great Ore Mountain Parade, can be found online at www.chemnitz.de/weihnachtsmarkt