591st Dresden Striezelmarkt

The Ultimate Guide to Germany's Best Christmas Markets

"In the middle of Dresden’s gorgeous altstadt (old town), featuring the world’s largest rotating wooden Christmas pyramid, the Striezelmarkt has been an annual tradition since 1434 — it’s considered Germany’s oldest Christmas market. “Striezel” comes from an old-fashioned word for the dense, enriched, yeasted loaf we know as Stollen , suggesting how seriously this cultural hub takes its fruitcake. In fact, Dresdner Christstollen is a protected product, and in early December a massive version of the Christmas bread, weighing hundreds of pounds, gets paraded through the city before being ceremonially sliced during the Stollen Festival. Pair a rich, almondy slice with Eierpunsch, a boozy eggnog concoction. This area also has many unique handicrafts, often inspired by the former mines of the nearby Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains), from incense smokers to the candle arch called a Schwiboggen." - Adam H. Callaghan