You only see what you know (Goethe)
When I was a child, I used to watch fairy tales on TV every Christmas season. Generally, these movies were made in the Czech Republic. Many years later, I still remember the plots of these tales, like’ Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella’, ‘Pan Tau’, and ‘Arabela’. What about your memories?
On 18th November 2012 I started a series of blog posts featuring the Christmas markets of Vienna. In the last six weeks I tried to visit a lot of markets situated in this big city. Well, its time to put down a final blog post answering the question: Which Christmas markets are worth a visit?
Right behind the main entrance of the hospital Otto-Wagner-Spital there is a small Christmas market located. As the hospital is built in the style of Art Nouveau this market is a gem for people who are interested in this special period of architecture.
The name of the Wintermarkt (Winter market) doesn’t claim to be a Christmas market. However, I paid a visit on my Christmas market tour through Vienna as the location is unique. The market is located at the entrance area of the Wurstelprater, a fun mile from Vienna.
Fire! Fire! Fire! Yellow smoke is drifting from the basement of an office building in a central place of Vienna. A truck from the fire brigade is standing next to the building, but the firefighters don’t care. What is going on? Well, the solving of this marvel: It’s not a fire. It’s contemporary art.
On my walks along the Christmas markets of Vienna I came across ovens labeled with the company sign Pickwick’s for several times. I love the style of the ovens and the sound of the company’s name. Does anyone know where this company is from and did you see this kind of ovens at the Christmas market of your place as well?
This weekend I discovered a Christmas market in the basement of an amazing building in the middle of Vienna. The building was designed by Adolph Loos and is a gem for all people interested in architecture. The market (which is open on weekends only) is focused on design and surprised me with two products: Phone covers made of water-resistant paper and travel reports as a graphic novel!
The Kultur- und Weihnachtsmarkt Schloss Schönbrunn is situated at the Ehrenhof (Cour d’honneur) of Schloss Schönbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace). I was especially impressed by the splendid setting and the lively concerts on the stage.
The Weihnachtsdorf Schloss Belvedere is situated on the southern side of Schloss Belvedere (Belvedere Palace). I love it for the splendid setting and the stars located at the pond in front of it. However, the offered goods were the general stuff.
The Advent market at the Karlskirche is a unique experience. Nearly every hut offers products crafted by local artists or artisans. It was fun to walk along the stands, listening to the shopkeepers hammer and polish their items.
At the Panorama Museum of Salzburg, I visited an exhibition about the real Trapp Family. This family was featured in the musical movie ‘Sound of Music’. At the exhibition, I learned about the Trapp’s life and what kind of songs they sang.
This sundial is at the St George’s Chapel of Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg). It shows the emblems of the Archbishopric Salzburg and Archbishop Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg. The original sundial is from the 16th century. Today, you see a reconstruction from 2001.