In the wake of escalating coronavirus restrictions, a number of Christmas markets in Germany have announced their cancellation. While a large number are still apparently going ahead, the following have confirmed they won’t be opening this year.
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, countries all around the world have been implementing tougher restrictions aimed at combatting the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, this has meant a number of Germany’s beloved Christmas markets will not be opening this year.
Here's an overview of the cancellations that have been announced so far:
Berlin’s famous Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt has been cancelled. The organiser said that keeping the market open “is no longer justifiable”, as health and economic risks continue to rise.
While other Christmas markets in Berlin are yet to comment on their situation, the market at Berlin’s Breitschiedplatz has confirmed it still plans to go ahead, with plastic sheeting put in place to cover the reduced number of stalls.
Bremen's Christmas market has also fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic. City mayor Andreas Bovenschulte announced on Wednesday that the Weihnachtsmarkt will not take place in 2020.
City authorities have already announced that some Cologne Christmas markets such as the Christmas market at Cologne Cathedral and Heinzels Winter Fairytale in the Old Town, will not take place this year. Whether any of the other famous markets will take place in 2020 is still unclear.
The Christmas market in Düsseldorf was expected to run from November 19 until December 30 but has now been cancelled. Organisers cited the “dynamic development of the pandemic and the required contact restrictions” as reasons for its termination.
The Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt will not take place this year. The market was scheduled to take place with a number of strict social distancing regulations in place, however, organisers felt that, in light of recent developments, the risks were too great.
Although Christmas markets in nearby Lübeck and Flensberg have already been cancelled, the city authorities have not yet totally pulled the plug on Hamburg's Christmas markets. A few smaller ones, such as the famous Santa Pauli market on the Reeperbahn, have already been called off.
There will be no Christmas market in Leipzig this year, after city authorities determined that the Corona Protection Ordinance precluded the possibility of holding a market. In a statement released on Tuesday, November 3, Mayor Burkhard Jung said, "Health is the most important thing. I am delighted that we can still decorate the streets and squares and thus offer the people of Leipzig a bit of a Christmas atmosphere."
The Munich Christmas Market was also cancelled this week. Organisers announced on Friday, “With a heavy heart we have to cancel the Christmas market. The decision is understandable because the further spread of the virus must be slowed down. But [we] also understand the disappointment of the deliverers and the guests at the Christmas market. "
The city of Stuttgart also announced on October 29 that the Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt would not take place in 2020. "To our great regret, the popular Stuttgart Christmas market cannot take place. The decision was not an easy one for us, but the current infection situation does not allow people to be together in a confined space," said Mayor Fritz Kuhn. The traditional market will be replaced with some isolated stalls in the city centre.
The Christmas markets in Aachen, Duisberg and Münster have also been cancelled this year, and, while the markets in Bayreuth are still scheduled to run, other, smaller events in Bavaria, like those in Fürth or Coburg, have been cancelled.
The Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt, the biggest market in Thuringia, will not open its doors this year. Neither will several markets in Baden-Württemberg, such as those in Heilbronn, Freiburg and Karlsruhe. A lot of cities have still yet to make a final decision on whether they should go ahead or not.