Why Dresden is the Christmas Capital Of Europe

Dresden, Germany (CNN) – Dresden is a city surrounded on two sides by the glistening Elbe River and nestled in its corresponding valley.

Elbflorenz, or Florence on the Elbe, is the moniker given to it because of its vibrant classical music scene, which attracted musicians like Richard Wagner, Johann Sebastian Bach, and many others, as well as its baroque charm and top-notch museums.

Although Dresden is officially the capital of the German state of Saxony, it appears to be the capital of Christmas.

By the first Sunday of Advent, Elbflorenz is fully in the spirit of the season, with windows lit by flickering schwibbogen candles, Christmas carols playing continuously, and market stalls decked out in spruce trees and ready to dazzle with the warmest gluhwein, densest Christstollen fruit bread, and most exquisite crafts money can buy.
The Dresdner Striezelmarkt, Germany’s earliest Christmas market, originally opened its doors to townspeople on Christmas Eve 1434 so they could purchase food for their holiday feasts.
Even though Striezelmarkt had modest beginnings, over the course of its 588-year history it has grown into a swarm of festive pleasure with more than 200 booths, sparkling carousels, and of course, candlelight tannenbaums all around.

The highlight of Striezelmarkt is a massive weihnachtspyramide, or Christmas pyramid, which is really the largest in the entire globe. Weihnachtspyramides are wooden structures consisting of a number of layers packed with Christmas figurines that have their origins in the Ore Mountains that lie on the boundary between Saxony and Bohemia. The layers whirl because of heated air rising from the base’s candles.
Despite its enormous popularity (about 2.5 million people visit each year), Striezelmarkt still has the atmosphere of a medieval marketplace, with the exception of the occasional iPhone flash and Visa + Mastercard stickers informing visitors that modern payment methods other than gold coins are now accepted.