Osnabrück Christmas Market, home to the historical children's Merry-Go-Round
Categories: Family and Kids, Sightseeing, Cultural and History, Dining
The biggest Christmas music box in the world, playing 25 of the most popular Christmas carols and a six meter high nutcracker will attract visitors to the Christmas Market in Osnabrück (Osnabrück vacation rentals | Osnabrück travel guide) in Lower Saxony. It takes place on the market square, around the Johannis
Church and in front of the Cathedral; and are connected by the popular miniature railway.
If you prefer a real traditional and romantic Christmas Market you might want to consider heading to Germany, where gifts are not mass-produced but craft-work of real quality. Especially traditional things such as crib figurines, toys, wood carvings, marionettes, straw stars, glass balls, tin tree ornaments, cookie tins or candles are hard to resist. Delicious mulled wine and the baked apples are very welcomed on crisp winter days and the flavors of gingerbread biscuits, marzipan, grilled sausages, roasted almonds and hot chestnuts add to this special Christmas experience.
Osnabrück in Lower Saxony hosts one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in the region
The cosmopolitan city of Osnabrück and the beautiful surroundings has a lot to offer for the whole family throughout the year and that includes first-class shops, lively markets, typical pubs and restaurants, stylish coffee bars and lots of colorful festivals.
From the 25th of November to the 22nd of December the, previously appointed as the Most beautiful Christmas Market in the North of Germany
, will once again attract large numbers of visitors. To get into the perfect Christmas mood, the air of the festively lit, historical old quarter with its half timbered houses and historical buildings, is filled with Christmas carols. The lovingly restored children's Merry-Go-Round from 1907 revolves, while playing 25 of the most beautiful carols. Soak up the seasonal atmosphere at this historical Christmas Market and take the red Bimmelbahn
miniature railway to St. John's Church for a magical Christmas experience. Also the fully functional Nussknacker
, or Nutcracker, is a local attraction not only for children and can easily be seen, since its standing more than six meters tall. For the children, St. Nikolaus visits each day to open a window on the huge Advent calendar in front of City Hall. The churches next to the Christmas Market, including St. Marien, the Cathedral, St. Katharinen and St. Johann, offer special performances of organ music and festive choir music.
A regional specialty also available on the Christmas market are Mandelmutzen
. They are a kind of small pastry in the shape of almonds. You need a basic recipe for short crust; flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking soda and ammonium carbonate or known as salts of hartshorne. You might add marzipan and definitely the aromas of bitter almond and/or rum. Mix it all well and form the little Mutzen
and bake them in a lot of hot oil. After they become a nice brown color drain the oil off and turn them in icing sugar, which add a nice and very tasty finish. Now, all we can hope for are lots of snowflakes to transform the Christmas market once again into a white Christmas wonderland; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Location, Map, and Driving Directions
[ view larger map ]
Opening Hours
25th of November to the 22nd of December, daily from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
About this Article
This travel guide has been written by Monika Petra.
In her own words: When children are born they receive certain gifts to put them to good use or not. In my cradle there must have been at least music and the curiosity for the world we live in. Luckily I could combine those gifts eventually. My live as a jazz vocalist guided me to see and experience many places in Germany and far beyond. As in my music I like to dive in the historical background of given facts, simply to understand the present. During my travel, my circles got wider and wider and since many years I am now living in Thailand, very interesting to say the least. I grew up in Paderborn, lived and studied Jazz in Cologne's Musikhochschule
and worked a while in Bayreuth and Kulmbach. My travels throughout Germany took me to all major cities and small towns. It was the people and local differences, be it language, food, traditions and customs, which made it a lot of fun. When finally the wall
came down, I was one of those in Berlin posing on the rests of it for the camera. Off course I took the first opportunity to rediscover the new
but old states of Germany and finally understood the impact the wall had on all Germans and in regards to the worst part in German history. Being a German
living abroad, I discovered in years what I value most about Germany. Rest assured it is a country of rich cultural background still alive today. I visit my home country regularly and stay in touch with my friends, even those back from school. Another thing I always felt passionate about is writing and sharing my experience and thoughts. The internet provides us all with a great opportunity to connect, tell stories, read and learn from others and grow as a global community.
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