BERLIN: Traditional Christmas markets opened across Germany on Monday, drawing revelers to their wooden stands with mulled grilled sausages, potato pancakes or caramelized apples.
Security has been stepped up, with memories of two deadly attacks on Christmas markets still fresh for many Germans.
In Berlin, the famous market at the city’s Gedachtniskirche church opened with a public service on Monday morning. Other openings included the Christmas markets at the Rotes Rathaus city hall, Gendarmenmarkt and Charlottenburg Palace.
Vendors sell not only snacks and drinks but also handmade candles, wool hats, gloves and shiny Christmas stars in all colors and shapes. Children enjoy rides on chain carousels, Ferris wheels and skating on ice rinks.
Security is an issue at all markets across the country. Last year, five women and a boy died, and many were injured in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg.
