German Easter Markets Preview
Fill a basket with eggs during the celebration of spring.
By Shelly Steig
Along the winding cobbled streets of Dinkelsbuel, Germany, a couple stopped to admire the happy flowers that spilled out of pots and flowed from boxes perched in the windows of brightly painted half-timbered buildings. Their children tugged on their hands, eager to get to the Spital courtyard, where an Easter market promised real and hand-made bunnies, colorfully decorated eggs and a merry-go-round.
Dinkelsbuel is on the banks of the Wornitz River at an intersection of ancient military and trade routes and is surrounded by a medieval fortification ring with some of the best preserved towers in Germany. The courtyard was bustling as shoppers stopped to chat with artisans demonstrating age-old craft techniques such as basket weaving and wood carving. In a barn-like building, vendors sold felt finger puppets, Easter-themed linens and decorated eggs of all sizes from chicken to ostrich.
There are many markets like Dinkelsbuel’s across Germany that celebrate the holy holiday and the advent of spring. Only recently have tourists started planning their trips around Easter markets, much like they do for the country’s famous Christkindl or Christmas markets. Easter markets range from quaint shows such as the one in the charming hamlet of Dinkelsbuel to large juried fairs with hundreds of exhibitors. They are all community events where locals eagerly gather to shop, socialize and put dreary winters behind them. For visitors, Easter markets are an opportunity to learn more about the German people and their traditions.
Shared Traditions
Though the markets may be relatively new, the traditions are not. No one really knows where the name Easter (or Ostern in German) originated. Many believe it is associated with Eostre, the maiden-goddess of fertility. Legend claims she saved a bird with frozen wings by turning it into a rabbit (which kept its avian reproductive system and was therefore able to lay eggs) that became the Easter bunny. Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants brought many German traditions to America in the 1700s, including the bunny, egg hunts and Easter baskets.
While religious beliefs have waned in Deutschland, the country boasts a storied Christian history. The Holy Roman Empire christened several towns as imperial cities, including Nuremberg—which housed sacred relics such as the lance that was claimed to have pierced Christ. Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation in Saxony; and Breslau-born theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was well-known for leading an organized resistance to the Nazis, then perishing in a concentration camp.
German Easter Markets Preview(Continued)
Finding the Golden Egg
I zigzagged across Germany to discover its many markets on a Rail Europe pass. As the train rolled through the countryside, I watched residents plant and water flowers in strip gardens along the tracks, I exclaimed at every forgotten castle on a hill and spotted villages with narrow lanes. Each city I visited was like finding the prize on an Easter egg hunt—they were all unique and offered a different market experience.
My journey began in Wiesbaden, a 2,000 year-old city whose thermal waters have drawn Roman and European aristocrats for centuries. Destroyed during the Thirty Years War, Wiesbaden was rebuilt in baroque style. After wandering the city’s beautiful parks and mansion-lined avenues, I found my way to the pedestrian zone around Mauritius Square, where vendors in tented stalls sold spring crafts such as squirrels made from twigs, dyed and decorated eggs, and floral arrangements. As I wandered from stall to stall, teenage girls dressed as Easter bunnies handed out candy to children who hopped in anticipation.
For nearby Nuremberg residents, the Haferlesmarkt (Pot Market) is a long-standing tradition held in the historical main square. This event, which for winter-weary residents heralds spring, features goods that range from kitchen items to Easter decorations sold under red-striped tents. As the day waned, customers lined up at food booths for sizzling Nuremberg sausages, which were wrapped in buns then loaded with condiments.
Hitler chose to headquarter his propaganda machine in Nuremberg, which he considered to be the best representation of Germany. Visitors can walk the Third Reich’s Rally Grounds at the Documentation Centre, as well as view the courtroom and museum where the key perpetrators were eventually tried.
Orchids and Artistry
At the Easter Fair in Dresden held in the Congress Center, hundreds of notoriously difficult-to-grow orchids flowered in a huge auditorium. Orchid aficionados packed the aisles, exclaiming over the range of colors and sizes. Other sections of the center were filled with hundreds of exhibitors who showcased Easter crafts, live animals and small appliances that were feats of German engineering. Some artisans demonstrated their techniques. One man peered through a magnifying glass as he poised a fine brush dipped in white paint over pastel dyed eggs. A woman dressed in traditional costume employed a transfer technique while another family used batik to create a subtle print in natural hues.
Only recently has the host city Dresden come out of its shell. During World War II, Allied fire bombings left it in ruins. Before it could be restored, communism clamped down like a metal snare. Twenty-five years into freedom, Dresden is now in a rebuilding phase that could last another decade. It’s a stunning city worthy of the effort.
I encountered the most artistry at the International Easter Egg Market in Mannheim. Held in the Baumhainhalle of the beautifully landscaped 100-acre Luisenpark, the market showcased regional traditions handed down over generations, as well as modern applications, including metal-studded eggs.
Dresden and Mannheim are opposites—one busy and relatively modern, the other filled with antique treasures. However, both were wonderful representations of the markets that mark the spring season.
Side Trips and Other Traditions
An April snow fell on the little village of Seiffen, threatening to cover the crocuses that had just sprouted from their winter sleep. Despite the chill, shoppers darted from store to store, finding Easter treasures such as tiny “Flower Girl” statues and bunnies painted in merry colors. Settled in a deep valley in the Ore Mountains, Seiffen was once a mining town that turned to wood carving when the minerals played out. It is one of the many villages that warrant an Easter-focused side trip. Others include a visit to Munich’s Easter Bunny Museum, where 2,000 rabbits are displayed.
In eastern Germany, the town of Lusatia features an Easter parade called the Kreuztritt. During the “Cross Walk,” hundreds of men dressed in black jackets and top hats ride horses in a circle to announce the resurrection of Christ. In many villages, residents gather Christmas trees into a huge bonfire, which signals the end of winter and the start of spring. Many of these same hamlets feature fountains that have been lavishly decorated with greenery, florals and dyed eggs.
For more information about Germany’s Easter markets and other celebrations of spring, go towww.cometogermany.com. For help planning your trip to Germany, contact your AAA Travel agent or visit AAA.com/travel.
SHELLY STEIG is a freelance writer from Parker, Colo.
Published: Dec 01, 2011
Fill a basket with eggs during the celebration of spring.
By Shelly Steig
Along the winding cobbled streets of Dinkelsbuel, Germany, a couple stopped to admire the happy flowers that spilled out of pots and flowed from boxes perched in the windows of brightly painted half-timbered buildings. Their children tugged on their hands, eager to get to the Spital courtyard, where an Easter market promised real and hand-made bunnies, colorfully decorated eggs and a merry-go-round.
Dinkelsbuel is on the banks of the Wornitz River at an intersection of ancient military and trade routes and is surrounded by a medieval fortification ring with some of the best preserved towers in Germany. The courtyard was bustling as shoppers stopped to chat with artisans demonstrating age-old craft techniques such as basket weaving and wood carving. In a barn-like building, vendors sold felt finger puppets, Easter-themed linens and decorated eggs of all sizes from chicken to ostrich.
There are many markets like Dinkelsbuel’s across Germany that celebrate the holy holiday and the advent of spring. Only recently have tourists started planning their trips around Easter markets, much like they do for the country’s famous Christkindl or Christmas markets. Easter markets range from quaint shows such as the one in the charming hamlet of Dinkelsbuel to large juried fairs with hundreds of exhibitors. They are all community events where locals eagerly gather to shop, socialize and put dreary winters behind them. For visitors, Easter markets are an opportunity to learn more about the German people and their traditions.
Shared Traditions
Though the markets may be relatively new, the traditions are not. No one really knows where the name Easter (or Ostern in German) originated. Many believe it is associated with Eostre, the maiden-goddess of fertility. Legend claims she saved a bird with frozen wings by turning it into a rabbit (which kept its avian reproductive system and was therefore able to lay eggs) that became the Easter bunny. Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants brought many German traditions to America in the 1700s, including the bunny, egg hunts and Easter baskets.
While religious beliefs have waned in Deutschland, the country boasts a storied Christian history. The Holy Roman Empire christened several towns as imperial cities, including Nuremberg—which housed sacred relics such as the lance that was claimed to have pierced Christ. Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation in Saxony; and Breslau-born theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was well-known for leading an organized resistance to the Nazis, then perishing in a concentration camp.
German Easter Markets Preview(Continued)
Finding the Golden Egg
I zigzagged across Germany to discover its many markets on a Rail Europe pass. As the train rolled through the countryside, I watched residents plant and water flowers in strip gardens along the tracks, I exclaimed at every forgotten castle on a hill and spotted villages with narrow lanes. Each city I visited was like finding the prize on an Easter egg hunt—they were all unique and offered a different market experience.
My journey began in Wiesbaden, a 2,000 year-old city whose thermal waters have drawn Roman and European aristocrats for centuries. Destroyed during the Thirty Years War, Wiesbaden was rebuilt in baroque style. After wandering the city’s beautiful parks and mansion-lined avenues, I found my way to the pedestrian zone around Mauritius Square, where vendors in tented stalls sold spring crafts such as squirrels made from twigs, dyed and decorated eggs, and floral arrangements. As I wandered from stall to stall, teenage girls dressed as Easter bunnies handed out candy to children who hopped in anticipation.
For nearby Nuremberg residents, the Haferlesmarkt (Pot Market) is a long-standing tradition held in the historical main square. This event, which for winter-weary residents heralds spring, features goods that range from kitchen items to Easter decorations sold under red-striped tents. As the day waned, customers lined up at food booths for sizzling Nuremberg sausages, which were wrapped in buns then loaded with condiments.
Hitler chose to headquarter his propaganda machine in Nuremberg, which he considered to be the best representation of Germany. Visitors can walk the Third Reich’s Rally Grounds at the Documentation Centre, as well as view the courtroom and museum where the key perpetrators were eventually tried.
Orchids and Artistry
At the Easter Fair in Dresden held in the Congress Center, hundreds of notoriously difficult-to-grow orchids flowered in a huge auditorium. Orchid aficionados packed the aisles, exclaiming over the range of colors and sizes. Other sections of the center were filled with hundreds of exhibitors who showcased Easter crafts, live animals and small appliances that were feats of German engineering. Some artisans demonstrated their techniques. One man peered through a magnifying glass as he poised a fine brush dipped in white paint over pastel dyed eggs. A woman dressed in traditional costume employed a transfer technique while another family used batik to create a subtle print in natural hues.
Only recently has the host city Dresden come out of its shell. During World War II, Allied fire bombings left it in ruins. Before it could be restored, communism clamped down like a metal snare. Twenty-five years into freedom, Dresden is now in a rebuilding phase that could last another decade. It’s a stunning city worthy of the effort.
I encountered the most artistry at the International Easter Egg Market in Mannheim. Held in the Baumhainhalle of the beautifully landscaped 100-acre Luisenpark, the market showcased regional traditions handed down over generations, as well as modern applications, including metal-studded eggs.
Dresden and Mannheim are opposites—one busy and relatively modern, the other filled with antique treasures. However, both were wonderful representations of the markets that mark the spring season.
Side Trips and Other Traditions
An April snow fell on the little village of Seiffen, threatening to cover the crocuses that had just sprouted from their winter sleep. Despite the chill, shoppers darted from store to store, finding Easter treasures such as tiny “Flower Girl” statues and bunnies painted in merry colors. Settled in a deep valley in the Ore Mountains, Seiffen was once a mining town that turned to wood carving when the minerals played out. It is one of the many villages that warrant an Easter-focused side trip. Others include a visit to Munich’s Easter Bunny Museum, where 2,000 rabbits are displayed.
In eastern Germany, the town of Lusatia features an Easter parade called the Kreuztritt. During the “Cross Walk,” hundreds of men dressed in black jackets and top hats ride horses in a circle to announce the resurrection of Christ. In many villages, residents gather Christmas trees into a huge bonfire, which signals the end of winter and the start of spring. Many of these same hamlets feature fountains that have been lavishly decorated with greenery, florals and dyed eggs.
For more information about Germany’s Easter markets and other celebrations of spring, go towww.cometogermany.com. For help planning your trip to Germany, contact your AAA Travel agent or visit AAA.com/travel.
SHELLY STEIG is a freelance writer from Parker, Colo.
Published: Dec 01, 2011