Germany’s most famous Christmas Market is again going to be held from November 26 to December 24, 2010 in Nuremberg, Bavaria.

Nuremberg Christkindlesmakt © charley1965/flickr.com

The opening ceremony on the Friday preceding the first Sunday in Advent is always a great event for locals and tourists from all over the world. Trumpets are blown at 5:30 pm on Friday before the ‘Junge Chor Nürnberg’ starts singing Christmas songs. After the switch on of the lights the Nuremberg Christ Child standing on the gallery will recite her famous prologue. Having been a symbol for the Christmas Market for many decades the Christ Child is one of the city’s most important representatives. The Christ Child is a young woman (16 to 19 years old) from Nuremberg being elected for tow years.

The Christmas Market will be held on Nuremberg’s Main Market Square (Hauptmarkt) and at the about 180 wooden stalls decorated with red and white cloth you can get the typical spicy gingerbread, fruit loaves, bakery goods, sweets, Christmas tree decorations, candles, arts and crafts, nativity sets, candles and of course toys. But of course food and drink are available as well such as the typical Nuremberg sausages and mulled wine.

Berlin is not only the capital city of Germany but also one of the sixteen states and its largest city. Located in northeast Germany it is the centre of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Area.

As the city has no definite centre the sights are spread all over the city. You will find the densest array of sights to the east of Brandenburg Gate on either side of Unter den Linden.

Brandenburger Tor © marfis75/flickr.com

Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) probably is the most famous and most important of Berlin’s landmarks and also the symbol of the formerly divided city. It also appears on German Euro coins (10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent). The former city gate was built by Carl Gotthard Langhans between 1788 and 1791. Atop the gate you can see the Quadriga. The horse drawn chariot is driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.

Having been the best known border-crossing of Cold War days Checkpoint Charlie has become the symbol of division of Berlin and Germany. A sign said ‘YOU ARE NOW LEAVING THE AMERICAN SECTOR’ in English, Russian, French and German. When being there you should also visit the museum known as ‘Haus am Checkpoint Charlie’ which houses the best documentation available on the many escape attempts from East to West.

Another reminder of World War II is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche). Severely damaged during the war only the west spire is left today, standing as a symbol for peace.
Berlin’s Museum Island (Museumsinsel) is an ensemble of five museums built on an island in the Spree River. The buildings were erected between 1824 and 1930. They are a cultural and architectural monument of great importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Reichstag © Jorbasa/flickr.com

Berlin’s most significant Jewish landmarks are the New Synagogue, the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Memorial. The synagogue was built in 1866 to seat 3200 people. It was the largest Jewish place of worship in Germany.

The Reichstag with its large glass dome is the seat of the German Parliament and after World War II damage was reconstructed in the 1990s by British architect Norman Foster.  The glass dome does not only allow free public access to the parliamentary proceedings but also great views of the city.

These are of course only a few of Berlin’s sights. You have to come to explore them all yourself.
And Berlin also has great shopping facilities to offer. You can get everything from expensive designer labels to flea and antique markets. World famous is the KaDeWe department store at Wittenbergplatz. It does not only boast designer labels but also the famous Food Halls.
Berlin of course offers a wide range of accommodation to match every taste and budget.