STRASBOURG CHRISTMAS MARKET
There is nothing that gets you more into the spirit of Christmas than a visit to a Christmas market, the lights, the decorations and the smell of Gluhwein all help to set the mood. Although they are becoming ever more popular in the UK, you cannot beat the Christmas markets in Germany and France. On a recent visit to Germany, staying in Hinterzarten in the heart of the Black Forest I was lucky enough to visit three Christmas markets, two in Germany and the other in France.
I had travelled independently to Germany, travelling by car via the Euro Tunnel and France. The route to Hinterzarten had taken me through Strasbourg, a journey that I had done on a few previous occasions. I had never been impressed with the little I had seen of Strasbourg as I drove through a mostly industrial area, however, I was soon to change my mind.
Strasbourg is the capital city of the Alsace region of France and is also the official seat of the European Parliament. Its close proximity to the German border has led to many German influences both in architecture and language.
First signs of human activity in the area dates back some 600,000 years and the first signs of a settlement date back to 1300 BC by Proto-Celts. In the 5th century AD the town was held successively by both the Huns and the Franks and in 923 AD it became part of the Holy Roman Empire. For 10 months from September 1939 to June 1940 the entire town was empty having been evacuated due to the start of World War Two. It was then annexed to Germany until its liberation by the 2nd French Armoured Division in November 1944.
Today the City has a population of over half a million and the port of Strasbourg is the 2nd largest port on the Rhine. The historic city centre with its 12th century Cathedral was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. The University of Strasbourg is the largest in France.
My trip to the Christmas market in Strasbourg had been arranged as a surprise for me by my son (an early Christmas present) and he had booked it in Hinterzarten where he lives. The trip was booked through a local German coach company called Steiert. There are many travel companies in the UK who provide package holidays to the European Christmas markets either by coach, plane or ferry. It is even possible to take a river cruise and also take in the markets, or as we did make your own independent arrangements.
My son had arranged our trip to Strasbourg on Saint Nicholas day, this is a very important saints day on the continent with many recognising it as a day to give gifts. Our day started with a taxi ride from our hotel to the train station at Hinterzarten where our coach was due to depart at 09:00. We took our seats on the comfortable modern coach and made our way to the city of Freiburg where we would pick up more passengers. Hinterzarten is over 800 metres above sea level and as we descended towards Freiburg the snow and mountains quickly disappeared and we were soon making our first stop. The driver made announcements throughout our journey, informing us of the days events, these announcements were of course in German as it was a German coach company. We also had a little German music for a while which helped make the journey even more special.
Once you cross the Rhine you are no longer in Germany but in France, and almost immediately in Strasbourg. The journey had taken about 90 minutes and we would have a further 30 minutes on the coach as we were given a tour of the city before being dropped off in the centre close to the Cathedral and Christmas market. We had approximately 5 hours of free time to explore this beautiful city.
The Christmas market in Strasbourg is one of the biggest and most famous of all the markets and there has been a market held here for several hundred years. Situated around the Cathedral in the old town, the setting is delightful. There are numerous places to eat with both German and French food available. Punch, Gluhwein and an assortment of snacks are available from the market stalls and there are many restaurants situated in the square and the side streets around the Cathedral. The Cathedral is well worth a visit, it is a beautiful building, entry is free but visiting times are restricted so as not to disturb worship.
On our return to Hinterzarten we stopped at Gengenbach to view the worlds largest advent calendar, a building in the square where a window is opened everyday to reveal a picture. We also had some free time to explore the Christmas market in Gengenbach, a very pretty spectacle as it was now nightfall and the lights of the stalls came alive in the dark. We arrived back in Hinterzarten at around 21:00 having had a wonderful day.
Whilst in Germany we also visited the Christmas market in Freiburg, as with the market in Gegenbach this wasn’t as large or as comprehensive as the one in Strasbourg but it was still well worth the visit. Strasbourg was a much more beautiful city than I had previously believed, having only seen the industrial areas as I had driven through it. I can now highly recommend a visit to this unique city at any time of the year, but if it’s a Christmas market that you are after, look no further.
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