BLACK FOREST CHRISTMAS MARKETS
A Storybook Holiday Season & Winter Fun
Germany’s Black Forest has almost a mystical mythic quality. The mountainous countryside of thick conifer forests in the southwest corner from Stuttgart to the borders of France and Switzerland is not only known for its cake and cuckoo clocks, but also for winding roads through quaint villages that seem locked in a time gone by. As the snows of winter come, the villages of the Black Forest appear as scenes from a book of fairytales come to life. At Christmas time the streets and squares are decked out with lights and holiday atmosphere. Local craftsmen sell jewelry, wooden toys and homemade candles, as well as straw stars and glass ornaments for Christmas trees. Nowhere is the traditional Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) more romantic than in this storied region.
The most charming Christmas Markets in the Black Forest region include Freiburg (November 26 to December 23), Baden-Baden (November 26 to December 30), Freudenstadt (December 7 to 16) and Ravenna Gorge (December 7-9, 14-16 and 21-23). Perhaps most unique among them is Gengenbach (see Gengenbach Fools Tower), where the two dozen windows of the historic Town Hall are opened one by one each day, to create one of Germany's biggest Advent calendars. At Hohenzollern Castle, the ancestral home of the Prussian Royal Family (see Castle Hohenzollern) on the two weekends before Christmas, the castle grounds bristle with the Royal Christmas Market - the Königlicher Weihnachtsmarkt. A giant Christmas tree fills the hall of the magnificent castle where the Kaisers once entertained, while in the outdoor market, with its red-roofed stalls, music and choirs, craftsmen sell unusual holiday gifts, from imaginative toys to local holiday delicacies, traditional Black Forest waffles and mulled wine - Glühwein. (November 30 - December 2 and December 7-9).
You can also catch the Christmas Spirit in the larger cities at the edge of the Black Forest. In Karlsrue, with more than 100 decorated stalls, is a larger market with its special "Flying Santa”, a unique Christmas show that features high-wire artists (November 29 - December 9) and Santa Claus floating high above the square in a sleigh – pulled by reindeer (November 29 - December 23). Stuttgart has perhaps the most well-known and largest of markets with 282 stalls throughout the old city (November 28 - December 23), and concerts of Christmas music held every evening in the Renaissance courtyard of the Old Palace (see Best Large Christmas Markets). At Esslingen's Medieval Christmas Market (November 27 - December 21), stall workers in historical costumes peddle traditional wares just like centuries ago, while fire eaters and minstrels entertain. Esslingen has been voted the number one favorite Christmas market, ahead of cities such as Nuremberg, Vienna and Salzburg (see Salzburg Advent Markets). And while not technically in the Black Forest, just north of Stuttgart is a local favorite, Baroque Christmas Market at the stunning palace of Ludwigsburg (see Ludwigsburg Palace and Baroque Garden), complete with thousands of twinkling lights and angels sporting large glittering wings (November 27 - December 23).
But the Black Forest is far more than holiday shopping. With more than 70 mountain peaks reaching as high as 3,250 feet, the Black Forest is one giant outdoor adventure park. After the advent season passes, the presents opened, the gingerbread cookies and Black Forest Cheery Cake have been devoured (see Learning to Make Black Forest Cake), go skiing on the Feldberg mountain, or cross-country skiing along 750 miles of trails. Catch the International Sled Dog Races in Todtmoos (January 26-27) and Bernau (February 2-3). Baiersbronn, which is sometimes called “hikers heaven” in the warm months, is just as ethereal in the winter when the sunshine glistens on the snow. Hike afoot on 25 different groomed winter hiking trails or trace some 50 miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails, while stopping along the way at the many welcoming mountain huts serving hot chocolate and mulled wine. © Bargain Travel Europe
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See Also:
CHRISTMAS MARKETS BY TRAIN - FROM PARIS
BLACK FOREST WINE BARREL HOTEL
CHRISTMAS MARKETS FRANKFURT RHINE-MAIN
GERMANY MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS MARKETS
CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN MARTIN LUTHER COUNTRY
