Day: 64-68 Location: Dresden, Germany Weather: Cold, rainy, 5C
November 28 – December 2, 2017
Germany was still an unfamiliar country to me, however a quick Google search of “the best German Christmas Markets” brought me to the historic city of Dresden. Located in Saxony in Eastern Germany, the city has long been the capital and royal home of the Kings of Saxony.
The Zwinger Palace
Prior to WWII, Dresden was called “the Florence on the Elbe” and was considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities owing to its architecture and art treasures. During the war, however, it was almost completely destroyed by massive bombing raids.
Dresden Old Town
After the war, and again after German reunification, great efforts were made to rebuild some of Dresden’s former landmarks, restoring it to its former glory.
The Old Town is easily walkable, filled with historic landmarks that still bear the scars of the war.
Frederick Augustus III, the last King of Saxony (1918)
After spending a day or two walking around the city, it was finally time to visit the sight I was waiting for: the Dresden Christmas Market! To be fair, the city has quite a few markets, spread between the New and Old Towns. The entire town is dressed up for the season.
The most famous one dates back to the 15th century, making it one of Germany’s oldest continuous market: The Striezelmarkt! It celebrated its 583rd anniversary in 2017 by welcoming over 3 million visitors. While its 240 stands are wonderful to visit during the day, the real magic happens at night, with the twinkling lights and sumptuous aromas filling the cold night air. The Dresden Striezelmarkt is so name in honour of the city’s favorite Christmas treat: stollen. In essence, stollen is fruit cake, but oh, so much better! Trust me, no visit to the market is complete without indulging in the sweet goodness of the bread.
2 Christmas markets down, 2 more to go. It’s off to Munich!