Christkindelsmärik (

Alsatian dialect Alsatian ( gsw-FR, Elsässisch, links=no or "Alsatian German"; Lorraine Franconian: ''Elsässerdeitsch''; french: Alsacien; german: Elsässisch or ) is the group of Alemannic German dialects spoken in most of Alsace, a formerly disputed region ...

meaning "Market of the Christ Child") is a

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

held annually in Strasbourg,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on the Grande Île near

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

and

Place Kléber The Place Kléber (''Kleberplatz'' in German) is the central square of Strasbourg, France. Place Kleber, the largest square at the center of the city of Strasbourg in the heart of the city's commercial area, was named after French revolutio ...

.Noël à Strasbourg. (Unknown last update). ''Noël à Strasbourg''. Retrieved July 08, 2007, from It draws in approximately 2 million visitors each year and since the arrival of

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

service in Strasbourg in 2007, the number of visitors has been on the rise. Hotels can be booked a year in advance and some receive between 15 and 17% of their yearly income thanks to the Christkindelsmärik's visitors.Retrieved May 02, 2013, from It is considered one of the most famous Christmas markets throughout Europe. It is estimated that the city benefits of a 16 million Euros profit from this 38-day-long tradition. It is mostly famous for its fragrance of

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is us ...

(french: vin chaud; german: Glühwein).Retrieved May 02, 2013, from

History

Strasbourg has been holding Christkindelsmärik around its cathedral since 1570, making it one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. The name "Christkindelsmärik" is of Alsatian origin, a low Alemannic German dialect which was the mainly spoken language in the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

until the 20th century. In many parts of south Germany and Austria

christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

s (German: Weihnachtsmärkte) are also called ''Christkind(e)l(s)markt'' (the spelling depends on the local dialect). The market takes place annually, from 29 November to 31 December. It mainly takes place on

, Place Broglie, Place du Marché aux cochons de lait and around the cathedral.

Planned bomb attack

There was an Al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Christmas market at the foot of the cathedral during the Christmas celebrations of 2000. This was discovered and foiled by authorities in December 2000.

Shooting attack

On 11 December 2018, a shooting and stabbing attack occurred at the Christmas market, killing five and injuring several. The attacker, Cherif Chekatt, was injured during a shootout with French soldiers during

Opération Sentinelle Opération Sentinelle is a French military operation with 10,000 soldiers and 4,700 police and gendarmes deployed since the aftermath of the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, with the objective of protecting the deemed sensitive "points" of th ...

near the scene and shot dead by police in Strasbourg on 13 December. The incident was classified as terrorism by authorities, who identified the shooter as a known extremist who had been tagged with a '' fiche "S"'' (S file or security file), the highest warning level for French state security.

The tree

The Christkindelsmärik's Christmas tree, on Place Kléber, is traditionally of imposing height. Topping at , the 2010 tree dwarfed much of its surroundings. The trees of the following years were only slightly less conspicuous: in 2011, 2015, and in 2018; in 2013, etc. At , the 2019 tree surpassed even its 2010 counterpart.

References

External links