Wiesbaden shooting stars market
The Christmas market , which has been taking place on the Schlossplatz in the Hessian capital Wiesbaden since 2002, is known as the Wiesbadener Sternschnuppenmarkt (also known as the shooting star market ) .
On the days of the event - from Tuesday after Death Sunday to December 23 - many hundreds of thousands of people from home and abroad visit the Christmas market, especially English tourists and members of the US armed forces stationed at the Lucius D. Clay barracks.
According to a study by the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences ( Hagen site ) on November 19, 2012, which asked about the “most attractive” Christmas market, visitors to the Christmas markets in Wiesbaden, Karlsruhe and Mainz found it “particularly Christmassy”.
Market building
opening
The Wiesbaden city arms (three golden lilies on a blue background) are repeatedly used in the design in terms of color and motif. The three so-called “little lilies” open the shooting stars market together with the mayor and the city council. This is followed by the appearance of several "angels" - Christmas music and fireworks end the ceremony.
Portals and Lilies
Four blue-gold portals, which are decorated with illuminated lilies that are almost ten meters high and twelve meters wide, form the corner points of the area. Around the Hessian Landtag (formerly: Stadtschloss ), the market church , the new and old town hall (today: registry office) are grouped together more than 130 stalls - 111 of them in the colors blue and gold - as well as 16 large, stylized lilies. 75 smaller lilies in the pedestrian zone and Wilhelmstrasse provide atmospheric light in the immediate vicinity. In total, the lighting consists of over 120,000 LED bulbs, which are activated from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Christmas tree
The 25 to 28 meter high Christmas tree in front of the town hall is decorated with more than 1000 blue / gold ribbons as well as over 3000 light-emitting diodes and 30 lamps with a lightning effect. There is space for it in a specially dug ground foundation. After the Three Kings (on January 7th) the tree is decorated and dismantled. Part of the wood goes to the nativity scene carver Hans-Albert Herrmann , who uses it for new works of art after a certain storage period.
Christmas crib
Directly in front of the Christmas tree is the so-called “city crib”, which represents the Bethlehem stable . The “ Herrgottschnitzer von Bremthal ”, Hans-Albert Herrmann, has been working continuously on the life-size figures of the Christmas crib since 1996. First, the three hundredweight Maria was created ; followed by the Joseph (four to five quintals weight), the child Jesus , donkeys and ox. The first figures were financed from advertising money from the interest group of market feeders. Finally, a shepherd was created, for whom Herrmann's blind friend served as a model. In 2001 the crib was handed over to the city. Originally, when the Christmas market was still located on Luisenplatz and in the city center, the Holy Family was in one of the "Christmas market houses" at the time behind a plexiglass pane .
The female angel of the Annunciation , in which the artist invested around 240 hours of work, was added in 2009. He and the Three Kings , who completed the human figure group in 2010 and 2011, are also designed after living people - the artist immortalized himself in one of the kings. In 2011 the crib was expanded to include a camel; all figures are made of linden , ash or poplar wood.
Booths and rides
At the total of 111 stands in blue and gold, visitors will find a wide range of products ranging from Christmas decorations to clothing and food to handicrafts. There are also 18 stands with gastronomic offers, including a bar located in a Christmas pyramid specially made for the shooting star market . The mugs with the city's landmarks that are available at the mulled wine stands are now collector's items and are given for a deposit of two euros (the same sales value). In 2012 the Russian Chapel and the Nerobergbahn were depicted on the relief cups.
Two carousels and a children's train are now an integral part of the shooting star market. The nostalgic horse carousel was painted by an artist on the ceiling with fairy tale motifs and on the outside with famous city landmarks. The picture shows the Biebrich Castle , the Nerobergbahn, the Kurhaus - but also the Eiserne Steg in Frankfurt , the Basel City Hall and the Berlin Victory Column . Large parts of the carousel are coated with gold, which is protected by clear lacquer.
particularities
In 2013, the number of visitors was limited to 5000 for the first time at the opening ceremony. Similar to the Rheingau Wine Week , which takes place in August on the same square, ESWE Verkehr offers a so-called “SternschnuppenTicket”.
Offers nearby
The "ESWE Ice Age" takes place just outside the shooting star market behind the State Theater in the direction of Warmer Damm . Since 2003, skaters have 800 m² of space available here; Alternatively, one of the three ice stock rinks can also be rented. The so-called “ice hut” with mulled wine, hot sausages and pepper nuts is open to visitors to warm up. In addition, the organizer has two “alpine huts” ready for private or business celebrations.
Since December 1991, an approximately 8 meter high "Christmas tree" made from over 2000 poinsettias has been decorating the foyer in the Kurhaus .
During the shooting star market, the 45 meter high Ferris wheel called “Jupiter” is located on Mauritiusplatz .
Further Christmas markets in the local districts
In the districts of Wiesbaden there are also Christmas markets on the individual Advent weekends.
literature
- Wiesbaden Marketing GmbH (Hrsg.): Brochure Sternschnuppen Markt Christmas in Wiesbaden - Twinkling Star Christmas Market Christmas in Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden 2012, pp. 1–6 and pp. 42–47
Web links
- Video trailer Sternschnuppenmarkt Wiesbaden MADE IN GERMANY , accessed on December 1, 2014
- Article Our Christmas Market Representative. on BLOG WIESBADEN , accessed on December 15, 2012
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sternschnuppenmarkt Wiesbaden , on: small calendar (accessed December 9, 2012)
- ↑ Who has the most attractive Christmas market? Press release from the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences from November 19, 2012
- ↑ Wiesbaden: Business people want to expand the shooting star market - city refuses , on: Wiesbadener Kurier ( Memento from December 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Shooting Star Market - State Capital Wiesbaden ( Memento from November 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ It's glowing in Wilhelmstrasse. on wiesbadenaktuell.de from November 21, 2013
- ↑ Carving is my calling , on: reinMein (accessed January 1, 2013)
- ↑ Atmospheric prelude to the pre-Christmas season , on: Wiesbadenaktuell.de (accessed on January 1, 2013)
- ↑ The angels are coming again - Only 5,000 are allowed to watch on wiesbadenaktuell.de from November 13, 2013
- Jump up to the Wiesbadener Sternschnuppen market on wiesbadenaktuell.de from November 17, 2013 without worrying about parking
- ↑ With the “SternschnuppenTicket” to the Wiesbadener Sternschnuppenmarkt ( memento of December 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on eswe-verkehr.de of November 18, 2013
- ^ Ed. ESWE Supply AG: Ice, Ski & Rodel gut - Fast runners. In: visavis. No. 4, 2013, p. 8.
- ↑ Christmas tree in the Kurhaus. ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on blog.wiesbaden.de. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ↑ Christmas markets 2013 in Wiesbaden ( Memento from January 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) PDF file (49.94 KB)
Coordinates: 50 ° 4 ′ 55 ″ N , 8 ° 14 ′ 29 ″ E