Jetsettersblog

Are there any authentic Christmas markets left? Any where locals outnumber tourists? In LutherCountry, the answer is “Yes!”

In this part of eastern Germany, you can still smell the cinnamon, the sausage and fresh pine in the frosty air. You can still talk to locals over a mug of Glühwein (mulled wine) or coffee and a slice of Stollen (traditional German cake with dried fruit). You can listen to bells that have rung out for 500 years. And, you can join in singing carols that have resounded on the same cobbled squares for centuries.

There are gifts to take home that have been made locally, from wooden toys and exquisite glass Christmas decorations to special cakes. In the federal German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, the build up to Christmas is still celebrated the way that Martin Luther suggested it should be 500 years ago: with joy.

4 GREAT AUTHENTIC CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Erfurt, Thuringia

Guarded by the towering cathedral, more than 200 wooden stalls fill the vast Domplatz (Cathedral Square). Highlights include the nativity scene, with 14 near life-size, hand-carved figures, a traditional tall wooden pyramid and the 80-foot Christmas tree, lit with hundreds of candles at night. The festive specialty here is Schittchen, a delicious version of Stollen. Made with flour, butter, candied fruits and ground almonds, it is the perfect gift to take home. And the post office has a stall where you can get your Christmas cards and postcards franked with the special Christmas market stamp!

TIP: Visit the crypt beneath the cathedral to see the 24 Advent scenes (Florales zur Weihnachtszeit), the imaginative floral tableaux that are created by local enthusiasts; book a guided tour and climb up the cathedral tower to see the 500-year-old Gloriosa, the oldest free swinging medieval bell in the world.

Dates: 23 November – 22 December 2011

Wartburg Castle, Thuringia

Nearly 1,000 years old and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wartburg was a refuge for Martin Luther while he translated the New Testament into German. It was also an inspiration for Wagner’s opera, Tannhäuser. Flecked with snow, this atmospheric backdrop gives an authentic feel of the Middle Ages to the weekend Christmas markets, where candle makers, glass blowers and wooden-toy makers are dressed in medieval garb. As ever, there is glorious food, from sugared almonds to right-off-the-grill Thüringer Bratwurst, Thuringian-style sausage.

TIP: In Eisenach, the Lutherstuben Restaurant in the Eisenacher Hof hotel hosts medieval evenings, with a hearty meal, a witty master of ceremonies, even a monk doing a medieval twist and shout!

Dates: 26-27 November, 3-4, 10-11, 17-18 December

Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt

As well as the usual Christmas ornaments, wood carvings and mulled wine, there are foods from Finland, Hungary, France, Austria, Russia and the Netherlands in the “European village.” But Halle is also the birthplace of composer George Frederick Handel (1685), and no work is more associated with Christmas than Messiah. As well as visiting the Christmas market, you can attend a concert in the Marktkirche or in the Händel-Haus, the house where he was born.

TIP: New this year is the 275-foot tall ‘Advent Candle’ – when the Red Tower of the Market church is lit up!

Dates: 23 November – 23 December

LutherstadtWittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt

There is nowhere more historic or atmospheric for a Christmas market. As well as half-timbered townhouses, there is the church where Luther once preached, with its famous altar triptych, painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Explore little courtyards to find fun stalls: toys, decorations, roasted almonds and mulled wine.

TIP: On 18 December, the Martin Luther Nativity play is in the Church of St. Mary, where the Great Reformer preached his sermons.

Dates: 25 November – 21 December

For further information, please visit us at LutherCountry www.visit-luther.com

Find more pictures of Christmas markets and other attractions in LutherCountry here.