Christmas in Dresden

Weihnachstlieder (Christmas Carols), Weihnachstbaum (Christmas tree), Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) and Weihnachststollen (Christmas Christmas Loaf) are German Christmas traditions that come together everywhere in Germany, but nowhere as remarkably festive as they do in Dresden.

Dresden is the capital of the state of Sachsen (Saxony).

It is located in the East of Germany, about 100 km southeast of Leipzig, and about 200 km south of Berlin. The Czech capital Prague is only 150km to the south, and the Polish border is only about 100 km away. The city lies at the banks of the river Elbe, and flooding can be a major issue. Large areas along the river shore are kept free from buildings, and trenches have been built along the river to defect the river’s torrents. Originally a city adorned with architectural beauty due to the long line of Saxon kings who resided there over the 800 years since it began, Dresden’s cityscape was changed greatly during the bombing of the city in the last weeks of World War II. Under East German rule much of the historic city center was restored, yet most of it in a modern socialist style.

In the decades since German reunification in 1990, the city has been restoring its old landmarks, among them the Dresdner Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Lady) on the Neumarkt.

All this is very important, for sure, but it is Dresden’s most famous export product that makes the city so special this time of the year: the Dresdner Weihnachsstollen (Dresdner Christmas Loaf), a heavy yeast bread with dried fruits and nuts.

There are very strict guidelines every Stollenbäcker (Stollen baker) has to follow in order to carry the official seal. First off, the Stollen has to be baked in the city of Dresden. The Stollen must contain at least 3 grams of butter, 7 grams of dried fruits and candied orange and lemon peels, and 1 gram of almonds for every 10 grams of flour to receive the coveted name. Apart from these guidelines, there are many different recipes, distinguished by the kinds of fruits and exotic spices used to give the Stollen its flavor. The shape, however, has to be the same. Conceived in the early 14^th century, the Stollen was originally a Christmas offering to the Bishop, and its shape was supposed to resemble the Christ child wrapped in a blanket.

575 years ago, in the year 1434, the Dresdener Striezelmarkt, the oldest Christmas Market in the world, opened for the very first time. The Striezel, as the residents call their Stollen, has always been a major part of it.

Visit www.dresden.de for more information.