Dresden is proud to have the oldest Christmas market in Germany - the first Dresden Christmas market took place in 1434.
The traditional name of Dresden's fair is "Striezel Markt", which refers to a sweet Christmas cake called "Striezl" or "Stollen".
This fruitcake, filled with nuts, raisins, spices and sprinkled with icing sugar, is the culinary highlight of the Dresden Christmas market.
The Dresden Christmas market is celebrated in the heart of Dresden's Baroque Old Town, with the Church of Our Lady as an impressive backdrop.
The Christmas market of Dresden is part of our list Germany's Best Christmas Markets.
In the center of the Dresden Christmas market, you'll find the world's biggest nutcracker and a huge Christmas pyramid, a 45 feet high wooden carousel with life-sized angels and scenes from the nativity. For a great view of the Christmas market, climb to one of the upper levels of the Christmas pyramid.
If you are looking for Christmas presents, the Dresden Christmas market is the place to buy traditional toys, puppets, and wood carvings that are handcrafted in the German Ore Mountains.
Every day at 4 p.m., Santa Claus visits the Dresden Christmas market to hand out small gifts to children.
On December 5th, 2009, Dresden celebrates the Christmas Stollen, which was first baked in Dresden in the 14th century, with a big "Stollen Festival"; expect no less than the world's biggest Christmas bread, weighing 4 tons and measuring 13 feet in length.
Before sampling a piece of the super-Stollen, watch the traditional procession of hundreds of pastry chefs, who will carry the giant treat through Dresden's Old Town.
- November 27th-December 24, 2009
- Stollen Festival: December 5th, 2009
- Sun-Thu 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
See Pictures of the Dresden Christmas Market in our Photo Gallery.
