Welcome to a short trip to the Lübeck Christmas Market ! As Barbara’s representative I have again the opportunity to try myself as a guest author. If you are new here: I am Jannik, 25 years old and a student. Today we’ll talk about the most beautiful time of the year, Christmas. For me, this is first and foremost a family celebration and the time of year when everyone gets together, everyone has scooped up some time off and you do something together. To go for various treats or the one or other mulled wine at the Christmas market, for example.
7 towers – 7 tips
Let me show you the most beautiful, delicious and interesting sides of our beautiful Lübeck Christmas market, knowing that my selection is subjective and due to the current situation we experience a different kind of Christmas market this year. Please follow the current rules during your visit. And a big request: visit the market best at times when it is not too busy, namely below the week.
The artisan market in St. Peter’s
Besides all the treats and delicacies that such a Christmas market has in store – we’ll get to them, I promise! – for me a Christmas market visit means to see lovingly decorated stalls and handicrafts. A particularly beautiful artisan market is held in St. Peter ‘s. Until December 5, you can stroll through the light-flooded hall church and admire and purchase handmade fashion accessories, high-quality ceramics and woodwork and other individual one-of-a-kind pieces while smelling apple punch and mulled wine. The a dmission fee is 3 euros, children up to 12 years are free.
My tip in the tip: on December 23 there’s a “Everything + Nothing” worship event that provides short impulses, readings, productions, play and music.
Fairytale forest & historical Christmas market
One of the coziest places of the Christmas market for me is the fairytale forest. At the foot of St. Mary’s, in the midst of green fir trees, there are about twenty lovingly designed huts in which fairytale scenes by the Brothers Grimm are shown. My most recent Christmas market childhood memory revolves around a booth in the Fairytale Forest that was all about Hansel and Gretel. Maybe that’s why I like this place so much. Did you know that the handmade fairytale figures have had their pre-Christmas home here for half a century? By the way, the person behind the market is Peter Belli. You can meet him in this blog post.
Right next door there’s another very special market, characterized by impressive arts and crafts and countless red poinsettias that bathe this place in an atmospheric pre-Christmas light: the historic market. Here the operators wear historical robes, which gives the market its medieval flair. I recommend the advent magic with a mead. Here you can find more info about the historic Christmas market.
UNICEF mail for Santa Claus
What the student loans Bafög office is to me, Santa Claus is to the youngest among us. (An almost) direct contact to him can be made at the UNICEF stand on the Schrangen. Wish lists can be dropped off at the Christmas Post Office. But the stand offers even more: by buying greeting cards you can help to fulfill wishes of disadvantaged children in this world. And thinking about other people is ultimately what the Christmas season is all about.
Arts and crafts market at the Hoghehus
I also like browse the streets that are a bit away from the Christmas market during Advent. I particularly enjoy exploring the festively decorated houses and the colourfully lit shop windows in Wahmstraße, Fleischhauerstraße, Glockengießerstraße and Hüxstraße. Maybe your walk will lead you to the Hoghehus on Koberg, an interesting building with a long Hanseatic past.
A very special market takes place in the over 700 year old building. If you are a fan of impressive ceiling and wall paintings and attracted by art treasures of past times, then this is the right place for you. Between 27.11 and 12.12 about forty artisans offer their products in the vaulted cellar of the Hoghehus. Among other things, they offer fine woodwork, paintings, hand-sewn items, jewelry and pottery. Absolute insider tip: At these and the other arts and crafts markets you can find ideal Christmas gifts for family and parents. Especially for moms who can enjoy a new decorative accessory given to them as a Christmas presend annually for at least 10 years!
Christmas Wonderland and DOME
My next tip takes you to the Christmas Wonderland at the Hansemuseum, where you’ll also find my must-see this year. My highlight of the Christmas market is the Dome, a large glass dome where a colourful pre-Christmas programme for children is offered. In a cozy Christmas atmosphere, the little ones can craft, bake and have fun here on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There will be activities such as candle making, crafting Christmas calendars, Christmas place settings and other winter decorations, as well as making cake pops, chocolate crossies and marzipan potatoes. You can find a complete programme here.
On the green area in front of the Dome, by the way, three small stands are set up, where you can find, among other things, specialties of the sustainable Lübeck fish restaurant “Fangfrisch“. From December 1, the Christmas stage will host many small concerts and shows. From Christmas choirs and trumpet quartets to DJs to magic and fire shows, there’s something for everyone. You can find the programme here. And my tip for warming up is the enchanting Café Brömse, to which we have already paid a ZWISCHENZEILEN visit recently.
Mulled wine & Mutzen
What should not be missing is mulled wine. Whether children’s punch or with wine a shot. Whether apple or lilac punch. Whether mead, dragon’s blood or Lumumba. As long as it warms winter cold fingers and tastes good, it’s perfect. By the way, you can get especially tasty mulled wine in various variations at the Tallinn stands, just to the left behind the entrance to the Maritime Market on Koberg. Let yourself be surprised by their special mulled wine!
As a nourishing base for the warming alcohol it’s a good idea to eat a few mutzen in between. For me, they are definitely part of the Christmas market. They come in small and large portions, with powdered sugar or with the popular nut nougat cream. However, I like the classics with powdered sugar – in the largest possible quantity, of course – best.
Roasted almonds
After I have already raved about Mutzen, mulled wine and other treats, now my absolute favourite snack may not be missing. Roasted almonds. In my opinion, the best ones can be bought at the Vespermann family. I can’t put my love for roasted almonds into words, but maybe this video will do it:
I hope I could inspire you for the most beautiful sides of our Christmas market as much as it has inspired me for almost 25 years.
Kind regards,
Jannik
