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Nürnberg’s Christkindlesmarkt cannot be classified as just any Christmas market. There are some unique aspects to it. My favorite attraction by far was the horse-drawn Deutsch Post wagon that took us on quite a long ride through the walled city of Nürnberg. As the horses clip-clopped through narrow, Fachwerk-lined cobblestone streets, traffic backed up and tourist shutterbugs gathered.
Another unique plus to this market was an entirely separate Kinderweihnacht set up for children in a different area of the city, away from where the main stage, heavier concentration of Glühwein stands, and most rows of vendors gathered.
Vendors are set up around the children’s area, but not heavily. Among the few rides was a double-decker carousel. In one workshop, children could write to Santa or Christkind and mail the letters via Deutsch Post boxes in the shack. Santa and Christkind both were posing for photos in another shack. I rather liked the separation of markets. Your child will be smiling at Kinderweihnacht!
I was surprised to see a small “post office” set up near the main market. One could buy stamps or mail postcards straight from this booth. The entire city was decorated from head to toe–storefronts, squares, streets overhead. There was a live nativity scene and a carved one, live Santa and a tall animated Santa–there was no lack of festivity.
Food was typical, but it should be noted that Nürnberg has its own style of Wurst, aptly named Nürnbergerwurst. It resembles American breakfast sausage in both appearance and taste and is my favorite type of Wurst. Often, several links will be served in one bun. Holy yum! As with any Fest, the giant, decorated gingerbread cookies that taste like paste-laden cardboard were sold, including to my tastebudless child.
The drawback to this market is one to take into heavy consideration: the main market is narrow, cramped, and jam-packed. Your child will end up out of sight once or twice. Pushy crowds will shove you right past the kiosk where you were about to stop. If you are claustrophobic or annoyed by these things, this might not be the market for you. The stampede detracted from all the great things about the market for us.
Still, it was worth seeing!
What we brought home: a couple ornaments for ourselves and gifts, a cool new Nürnberg Glühwein mug, a scarf, and super-warm socks for Paul!
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