10. Frankfurt Christmas Market, Weihnachtsmarkt
Finally, Frankfurt, the metropolis of three hundred banks and the global financial center, turns into a real Christmas wonder for a whole month and also hosts one of the most popular Christmas Markets in Germany. The metropolis’s authorities are proud that every year they install the highest Christmas tree in the country. In the evening, 1000 LED lights are lit on the square. The facades of half-timbered houses around the square reflect all this light, and it seems you are in a fairy tale.
The Christmas market in Frankfurt is one of the richest in traditions and customs. Today, Frankfurt’s main Christmas market on Römerberg Square and the neighboring streets of the city center is still one of the largest and most beautiful in Germany. Every year it gathers more than 200 participants and about 3 million visitors. On the shelves of shops, there are many products of masters from the Ore Mountains: puppets, candles, nutcrackers, tin toys, Christmas tree decorations, as well as traditional Frankfurt ceramics, and a bunch of other gifts.
Throughout history, the Christmas market has evolved from a traditional market to a meeting place, facilitated by many heated street cafes where you can sit with friends and family and have a good time. In addition to traditional mulled wine and fire punch “feuerzangbule,” fried sausage, gingerbread chestnuts, and almonds, you can also taste local Christmas dishes her, special Christmas gingerbread (Brenten) and marzipan cookies with almonds (Bethmannchen and Quetschemännchen), which you loved so much Goethe. In addition, aromas of cinnamon, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and traditional Christmas pastries hover around.
