Magdeburg Christmas market

The Magdeburg Christmas market (German: Magdeburger Weihnachtsmarkt) is a Christmas market taking place annually in Magdeburg, Germany, at the Old Market Square [de]. It is the largest Christmas market in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt,^[1] with more than two million annual visitors and over 125 Christmas stands.^[2]

View in 2019

History

Magdeburg's Christmas market dates back to a late medieval sales fair, which gave the people of Magdeburg the opportunity to stock up on food before winter.^[3] In the middle of the 20th century, it became a pre-Christmas custom. In the beginning, it took place in the area of the Alter Markt (Old Market). After large parts of Magdeburg were bombed in 1945,^[4][5] the Christmas market was moved to the Leiterstraße.^[3] In the 1970s, it was moved back to the Alter Markt and also to the Zentraler Platz.^{[citation needed]} After the construction of the Allee-Center on the Central Square in 1995, it has only been held on the Alter Markt since then.^[6] On December 26, 2012, Germany's longest Christmas song was performed on the Magdeburg Christmas market by artists, celebrities and the Christmas market band; the song was created on the initiative of the Volksstimme newspaper, whereby readers of the magazine wrote additional verses to the melody of the German christmas carol Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling.^[7] In 2015, the Magdeburg Christmas market had over one million visitors.^[8]

Attack

Main article: 2024 Magdeburg car attack

Police cars at the Christmas market one day after the 2024 car attack

On December 20, 2024, a Saudi man drove his car into a crowd at the market, killing 6 people and injuring 299 others.^[9] The Christmas market was subsequently closed prematurely for the rest of the season.^[10]

Attractions (gallery)

• 
  Ferris wheel in 2011
• 
  Christmas pyramid in 2013
• 
  A part of the Lichterwelt (World of Lights) in 2019