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Germany’s traditional Christmas markets officially opened their doors on Monday, inviting visitors to enjoy festive delicacies like mulled wine, grilled sausages, potato pancakes and caramelized apples.
Security measures have been significantly increased across the country, a poignant reminder of two previous deadly attacks on similar incidents.
In Berlin, the famous market square of the Gedächtniskirche church began with a public service, joined by other notable openings including the Rotes Rathaus, Gendarmenmarkt and Charlottenburg Palace.
Vendors sell not only snacks and beverages, but also handmade candles, woolly hats, gloves and glitter Christmas stars in all colors and sizes. Children enjoy riding the chain carousel, Ferris wheel, and skating on the ice rink.
Christmas markets are an annual tradition that Germans have cherished since the Middle Ages – and are successfully exported to much of the Western world.
Safety is an issue at all markets throughout the county.
Last year, five women and a boy were killed and many were injured in a car collision. attack at the Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg on 20 December, which lasted just over a minute. The attacker is currently on trial in Magdeburg.
On December 19, 2016, an attacker drove a truck into a crowd of Christmas market-goers at Berlin’s Gedichtniskirche church, killing 13 people and injuring dozens of others in the German capital. A few days later, a Muslim terrorist was killed in a shootout in Italy.
In the western city of Cologne, a Christmas market in front of the city’s famous double-domed cathedral was packed with huge crowds on Saturday.
“We feel a very good atmosphere here, so we think that in these difficult times we are currently experiencing, we can offer a little relief to the visitors here,” said market spokesperson Birgit Groothuis. “We see many smiling faces under our lighted tent.”
Nonetheless, he said that after the attack in Magdeburg last year, the city created a special security concept for its markets in close cooperation with the police. This includes an additional anti-terrorism barrier and private security, he said.