This year, the Nuremberg Christmas market is intended to be a sign of peace and reconciliation. Despite the war in the Middle East, stalls from Israel’s Hadera and Palestinian Nablus, which is located in the West Bank, are said to be operating in the neighboring market of the twin cities. We are very pleased that both operators have decided to be represented in Nuremberg again this year, said Tobias Schmidt, head of the mayor’s office, on Monday at a press conference on the upcoming opening of the Christmas market.
In times of “turmoil, war and crises,” people longed for “constancy, warmth of heart, a bit of tradition,” said Mayor Marcus König (CSU). Anyone who wants to take a break from negative news for a few hours can do so at the Christmas market in Nuremberg.
According to Tobias Schmidt, the city and the police do not see any reason to deviate from the security concept of previous years in view of the war in Gaza and conflicts taking place in Germany – although the market in the twin cities is given particular attention when monitored by security personnel. “For us, the main thing is the nice signal that both cities want to be present at the Christmas market again right now,” said the CSU politician.
The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt starts on December 1st and is open until Christmas Eve this year. The city expects at least two million visitors on the 24 market days, 300,000 of them from abroad, said economics officer Andrea Heilmaier, CSU.