Christkindlimarkt in Zurich

Christmas market at Zurich Central Station

My first Christmas market experience in a railway station was in Zurich. There, I came across the Christkindlimarkt inside the hall of Zurich Central Station. The festive stalls stood only a few metres away from the platforms with the international trains.

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Christmas market of Coburg

Christmas market in Coburg, Germany

Renaissance facades and several corner oriels frame the Christmas market on the market square of Coburg. The oriels are known as Coburger Erker. Between the historic town hall and the former ducal chancery, visitors enjoy the Coburger Bratwurst. It is a sausage roasted over an open fire of pine cones. [German]

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Christmas pickle from Lauscha

Christmas pickle from Lauscha, Germany

At a glassworks in Lauscha, generally known as Farbglashütte Lauscha – ELIAS Glashütte, I joined a workshop about how to decorate a Christmas tree. To my surprise I learned about a US traditon to hide a green Christmas pickle in the tree. This tradition is pretty unknown in Germany but the glassworks sell a lot of these pickles to the States.

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Hellbrunner Adventzauber

Gate at the Hellbrunner Adventzauber in Salzburg, Austria

The Hellbrunner Adventzauber is a Christmas market with a splendid atmosphere. It is situated on the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace (Schloss Hellbrunn) in Salzburg. About 400 trees decorated with 13,000 red Christmas balls make the market special.

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Christmas crib in Sankt Wolfgang

Christmas crib in Sankt Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, Austria

An interesting detail of the Christmas market in Sankt Wolfgang (Wolfgangseer Advent) is a Christmas crib created by the wood carver Matthäus Mayrhauser. The crib consists of about 40 life-size sculptures scattered over a larger area. Everybody is invited to walk betCeen the figures so in the evening it is difficult to decide who is a real person and what is a wooden figure.

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