Esther Browning dives into the festive season with a trip to Nuremberg and its famous Bavarian Christmas Market

If you know anything about the Second World War, when you hear ‘Nuremberg’ you probably think of the infamous Nuremberg trials.

And so it was with surprise that I learnt that this city is home to the oldest and largest Christmas market in the world dating as far back as 1628.

From the beginning of December, Nuremberg, complete with Imperial Castle on a hill, impressively-fortified city walls and yellow horse-drawn stagecoaches, becomes the embodiment of all things festive, transforming itself into an entire Christmas city.

Rows and rows of striped red and white stalls bustle in the main market square between an old church frontage with a 15th century glockenspiel clock chiming each noon and a 14th century golden fountain standing 20 metres tall and bearing a golden ring talisman that you turn for luck.

The scent of mulled wine, sausages on rolls and gingerbread wafts between the candles and Christmas decorations that adorn each stall from morning until late at night and magical fairy lights twinkle throughout the historic old town.

Key to Nuremberg’s Christmas domination is a real live Christmas Angel, crowned from the city’s population, a young blond confection dressed in white and gold who is, we are told, responsible for Bavarian toy distribution instead of Father Christmas. And prune men (yes, you read that right), traditional tin and wooden toys, are a big part of the Nuremberg experience – there’s a whole children’s Christmas market, with matching candy cane-striped stalls and helter-skelter as well as an all-year-round toy museum.

With legendary German efficiency, the transport system keeps my weekend perfectly oiled. My bags appear miraculously on the carousel the instant I walk into baggage reclaim, and with hotel and underground station both within 200m I was just ten minutes from the city centre.

The Nuremberg card (only 21 euros per person for two days) gives total freedom of transport across the city and entry into the city museums of which there are many.

No visit here would feel complete without a trip to the sombre Documentation Centre and former Nazi rally grounds but this was just one episode in Nuremberg’s long and otherwise illustrious history.

Ninety per cent destroyed by allied bombing, this city has been lovingly rebuilt in the style of the original medieval city.

Fortunately the 15th century merchant house of world-renowned artist Albrecht Durer survived: inside the trail of pigments to this city from around the globe is illustrated, and these routes are now are followed by international visitors who also come to enjoy the festive cheer and spice of Christmas life here in Bavaria.

It’s wunderbar!

  • Air Berlin run direct flights to Nuremberg  from Heathrow and Gatwick. A return trip starts at £150. See airberlin.com
  • Esther stayed at Mövenpick Hotel Nürnberg-Airport, Flughafenstr. 100,D-90411 Nürnberg, Germany moevenpick-hotels.com/Nuremberg 
    Call 0049 911 35010
  • For more on German Christmas Markets, which run until Christmas Eve, see germany-christmas-market.org.uk