Advent in Münster – a fairytale!

Should we really be speaking of “fairytales”? Maybe not: After all, lots of people find Münster rather charming at any time. But in the dark days of winter, Advent is a time to experience Münster at its brightest.

However, even the bright lights are kept deliberately low-key. In Münster, there are no showy spectacles and winking neon lights. Instead, the city has developed its own special light concept – one that is characterised by restraint, but that brings out the beauty of the Old Town all the more impressively. And instead of the blaring noise of piped music, the Münsteraners make music themselves: When its “Münster sings” time, thousands of people gather on Prinzipalmarkt to sing seasonal songs and traditional Christmas carols together – unquestionably one of the high points of Advent in Münster. Another is the launch of the festive season with the official ceremony of switching on the decoration on Münster’s biggest Christmas tree. And a further seasonal custom in Münster is that many cultural institutions and churches offer their own special Advent activities that tune with the festive mood in the pre-Christmas period.

So what about the Christmas markets? Well, it’s true: Even those Münster folk who complain of the crush and bemoan the number of people in town in the weeks leading up to Christmas – they nearly all visit a market in the end. Meet up with friends, have a glass of glühwein at one of the many stands, eat reibekuchen, the traditional potato fritters, stroll through the lanes between the stalls, and maybe pick up a Christmas present or two… Yes, the Christmas market! In Münster, you really have to go at least once.

So it’s perhaps all the better that there isn’t just one, but in fact five different markets! And therefore – despite there being around 300 stalls altogether –there is no giant scrum to get lost in, but instead, a series of festively inviting islands, scattered in various picturesque locations throughout the Old Town and each with its own individual flair.

To begin with: the Christmas market at Aegidii-Markt, located opposite the front portal to the LWL Museum – with a wonderful nativity scene, a decorated wooden Christmas pyramid, Christmas bells and a fairyland, it has something to offer the whole family. Or the biggest and most long-established Christmas market – first held in 1970! – located all around the Rathaus (Town Hall): with trinkets and jewellery, wooden carvings, high-quality arts & crafts, and a nostalgic merry-go-round, all beneath a romantic roof of lights. Not far away, the Lichtermarkt (Christmas Lights Market), at the foot of St. Lamberti Church, with blue, pointed-roof booths, framed by historic gabled houses and boasting Münster’s biggest Christmas tree. And a little way down the street, the small, welcoming Weihnachtsdorf (Christmas Village), with regional culinary specialties and arts & crafts items, all nestling around the Kiepenkerl, the monument to the pedlars who once traded their wares in and around Münster. And finally the Giebelhüüeskesmarkt (Gabled House Market), set up close to the walls of the mediaeval Überwasser Church and offering a wonderful view of the illuminated towers of the Cathedral.
And everywhere you go, these festive islands hold lots of attractive and original items in store which are ideal as small gifts or proper presents.

And perhaps just one more tip: Some time when you are in town, preferably towards evening and when things have quietened down a bit – leave the hustle and bustle behind, go onto Prinzipalmarkt, stop, and look up and along the elegantly illuminated facades of the gabled houses. It’s possible that the sound of trumpets will waft to your ears from somewhere. Or maybe you’ll catch sight of a Santa scurrying along under the arcades. So perhaps there really is something fairytale-like about it.

Some interesting facts & figures (perhaps worth following up further?)

A speciality of Münster: Five Christmas markets, each one at a different location, but all within easy walking distance inside the Old Town.
For Münster’s Old Town, and Prinzipalmarkt, the city’s “front room”, in particular, there is a special, restrained and elegant light concept in force – gaudy lighting and obtrusive signage is strictly prohibited. Especially during Advent, a magical atmosphere prevails here.
Concerts have a long tradition and play an important role in Münster the Music City during Advent and Christmastime: with open-air brass ensembles or full-scale oratorios in concert halls or churches – festive music is everywhere to be found.