Christkindelsmärik of Strasbourg (Christmas Market) - by K2
Dec 9, 2016 16:58:57 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2016 16:58:57 GMT
There is a minor controversy about the name of the Strasbourg Christmas market: Christkindelsmärik. In the Alsatian dialect, this means "the Baby Jesus Market" due to a conflict between Protestants and Catholics in the 16th century. Up until then, throughout most of the region, the big year end market was to celebrate Saint Nicolas, the 4th century Turkish bishop famed for giving gifts to children. That market was called the Klausemärik, and yes, that's the same guy who sells Coca-Cola. But during the Protestant reform -- and at that time the cathedral of Strasbourg had been converted to a Protestant church -- it was decreed that the idea of a saint giving presents to children was a despicable papist conspiracy, because symbolically this is the role the Christ in the form of Baby Jesus. So in 1570, Saint Nicolas was banished from Strasbourg, but the market went on and was expanded to include not just sweets and toys but also devotional candles, gingerbread... and then just about anything else. The market was still held before December 6th (the feast day of Saint Nicolas), but gifts were not to be given until Christmas Eve.
Obviously, things have changed over the years. Plenty of Strasbourgers have absolutely no problem with Saint Nicolas, so just like in the rest of the region, the children get things on both December 6th and December 24th. And the Catholics got their cathedral back. That's fair -- after all, they built it.
In 1992, Strasbourg proclaimed itself the "Capital of Christmas." Nobody contests that in France, but I would imagine not everybody in the surrounding countries agrees. Nevertheless, the Germans make up the biggest group of visitors after the French and can't seem to get enough of all that stuff.
Okay, that's all the culture you're getting out of me for the moment. I'll just show you what I saw over 2 days, in strict chronological order.
My train arrived 84 minutes late, which is a considerable delay now that rail travel time from Paris is supposed to be only 109 minutes total. Somebody died on the tracks. But here is the station at last.
imageshack.com/a/img922/812/sRwm2n.jpg
I am still totally impressed that they put the station in a glass bubble to make more room -- and protect from the elements.
imageshack.com/a/img922/6567/lH6tOR.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img922/3632/kSI3N1.jpg
My hotel was right next to the main synagogue which was built in 1958. Something very bad happened to the old synagogue in 1940, but this is not the time or place to go into that.
imageshack.com/a/img923/3176/EZhxNz.jpg
On my first time out, I took a picture of the street sign located at the tram station, just in case I forgot.
imageshack.com/a/img922/3995/FvK1Bu.jpg
But I didn't take the tram then, because I knew that I was only two stops away from Place Broglie, where one of the biggest markets is. I crossed Place de la République first.
imageshack.com/a/img921/3664/1vosAu.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img923/373/8YPnHr.jpg
Someone had made a home inside this shrub.
imageshack.com/a/img923/4651/0oirjH.jpg
Soon I was at Place Broglie, the location of the Strasbourg opera. Place Broglie is where the Marseillaise was played for the first time in history (since it was a fight song for the "Army of the Rhine"). During the occupation it was renamed Adolf-Hitler Platz. That's probably not a coincidence. After the war, it was the location of the temporary synagogue until the new one could be built. That's probably not a coincidence either. So, here is the opera.
Obviously, things have changed over the years. Plenty of Strasbourgers have absolutely no problem with Saint Nicolas, so just like in the rest of the region, the children get things on both December 6th and December 24th. And the Catholics got their cathedral back. That's fair -- after all, they built it.
In 1992, Strasbourg proclaimed itself the "Capital of Christmas." Nobody contests that in France, but I would imagine not everybody in the surrounding countries agrees. Nevertheless, the Germans make up the biggest group of visitors after the French and can't seem to get enough of all that stuff.
Okay, that's all the culture you're getting out of me for the moment. I'll just show you what I saw over 2 days, in strict chronological order.
My train arrived 84 minutes late, which is a considerable delay now that rail travel time from Paris is supposed to be only 109 minutes total. Somebody died on the tracks. But here is the station at last.
imageshack.com/a/img922/812/sRwm2n.jpg
I am still totally impressed that they put the station in a glass bubble to make more room -- and protect from the elements.
imageshack.com/a/img922/6567/lH6tOR.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img922/3632/kSI3N1.jpg
My hotel was right next to the main synagogue which was built in 1958. Something very bad happened to the old synagogue in 1940, but this is not the time or place to go into that.
imageshack.com/a/img923/3176/EZhxNz.jpg
On my first time out, I took a picture of the street sign located at the tram station, just in case I forgot.
imageshack.com/a/img922/3995/FvK1Bu.jpg
But I didn't take the tram then, because I knew that I was only two stops away from Place Broglie, where one of the biggest markets is. I crossed Place de la République first.
imageshack.com/a/img921/3664/1vosAu.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img923/373/8YPnHr.jpg
Someone had made a home inside this shrub.
imageshack.com/a/img923/4651/0oirjH.jpg
Soon I was at Place Broglie, the location of the Strasbourg opera. Place Broglie is where the Marseillaise was played for the first time in history (since it was a fight song for the "Army of the Rhine"). During the occupation it was renamed Adolf-Hitler Platz. That's probably not a coincidence. After the war, it was the location of the temporary synagogue until the new one could be built. That's probably not a coincidence either. So, here is the opera.
imageshack.com/a/img924/8659/wHrwY4.jpg
And the market begins.
imageshack.com/a/img922/6174/VfRlYG.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img922/1031/RFMbSz.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img921/8964/tFG13y.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img921/5443/L95M2J.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img924/5554/w2vVvM.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img923/6672/5I3uZC.jpg
And the market begins.
imageshack.com/a/img922/6174/VfRlYG.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img922/1031/RFMbSz.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img921/8964/tFG13y.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img921/5443/L95M2J.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img924/5554/w2vVvM.jpg
imageshack.com/a/img923/6672/5I3uZC.jpg
