Merano Advent
The Meran Christmas is one of five South Tyrolean Christmas markets. It has been held annually in the spa town of Merano since 1993 . After the organization was taken over by the Merano spa administration in 2012, the event is called Merano Christmas ( Italian Mercatini di Natale Merano ).
history
The Merano Advent has been organized since 1993 by the Association of Merchants Active . Before that there was an event of the same name organized by the Old Town Association. After the Bolzano Christmas market was founded in 1990, the Passerstadt Merano followed suit, although attempts were made to position itself a little differently from the start. At that time, around 35 stalls were set up at two central locations. Just a few years later, the Christmas market was relocated to Freiheitsstrasse and the adjacent Sparkassenstrasse. This year the Merano Advent counted 60 stalls and attracted many visitors. In 2001 the event was set up with 80 exhibitors on the Passer Promenade. The architecture of the Merano Kurhaus and the murmur of the Passer River give Merano Advent a special flair. The market gift has meanwhile been extended to other places in the city center, such as the Thermenplatz with an ice-skating rink and the sand court, where various days of action take place. In March 2011, the Neue Südtiroler Tageszeitung published a dossier by the association's former long-term coordinator about irregularities in the distribution of the proceeds into the pockets of the members of the board of directors of Kauffolk Aktiv . The Bolzano public prosecutor's office then began investigations against the association. In October 2011, as a result of the investigation, the previous Merano City Councilor Heidi Siebenförcher (SVP) resigned from her position and after the arrest of the club president Michl Frasnelli on January 24, 2012, the Merano municipal council decided on the same day to organize the successful event of another To hand over organization. On April 10, 2012, the Merano municipal council decided to transfer the event to the “Kurverwaltung Merano” for five years. The Merano Christmas market is being fundamentally reorganized. On July 20, 2012, the Meran spa administration and the municipality of Meran announced the winner of the new tender for the delivery of the Christmas stands at the Merano Christmas market. The Rubner company was able to prevail against six competitors in the Europe-wide competition and win the competition with an offer of 462,000 euros.
present
During Advent in Merano, Christmas decorations made of glass and ceramics, wooden figures, traditional weaving, wool slippers, toys and typical pastries are offered. The supporting program includes the Krampus parade , benefit concerts and a children's program.
Gingerbread campaign
Handmade gingerbread is offered on all five original South Tyrolean Christmas markets. These are made by the local bakers for each city according to a recipe from the state vocational school for the hospitality and food industry. The "Francisville" aid project of the "FondazioneFrancesca Rava" foundation is supported with the sale of these gingerbread cookies. The net proceeds of every gingerbread sold benefit the foundation.
Web links
- Website Homepage of the previous organizer Kauffolk Aktiv (as of August 12, 2012)
- Website homepage of the Merano spa administration (as of August 12, 2012)
- Website The new huts of the Christmas market reorganized in 2012 by the Merano spa administration
Coordinates: 46 ° 40 ′ 12.7 " N , 11 ° 9 ′ 43.3" E