Dresden · Germany
Dresdner Striezelmarkt
25 Nov – 24 Dec 2026 Official
Official websiteDates and hours may change. Check them on the market's official site.
| City | Dresden |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Altmarkt, Dresden |
| Dates | 25 Nov – 24 Dec 2026 Official |
| Opening hours | 25 Nov (opening) 16:00–21:00; 26 Nov–23 Dec daily 10:00–21:00; 24 Dec 10:00–14:00 |
| Official website | Official website |
| Map pin | 51.04963, 13.73796. Approximate location from the sources used for this page. |
The Striezelmarkt occupies the Altmarkt in the centre of Dresden and spreads into surrounding streets throughout Advent, running until Christmas Eve. It traces its history to 1434, under Elector Friedrich II of Saxony, when it was held as a one-day market on the Monday before Christmas. In that early form its purpose was practical: it let townspeople buy meat for the Christmas meal at the end of the Advent fast. Over the centuries it grew into a major seasonal event. Today it has around 240 stands and draws roughly three million visitors from around the world, which makes it one of the most visited markets in Germany. The name comes from 'Strüzel' or 'Stroczel', an old word for a cake sold at the market that is now known as Stollen or Christstollen. Stollen remains closely tied to the market and to Dresden. Crafts from the nearby Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), such as wooden figures and candle arches, are also traditional at the market.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Traditions and specialities
A rich fruit bread dusted with sugar, first mentioned in Dresden in 1474. Genuine Dresdner Stollen is baked in the city and carries a seal showing King Augustus II the Strong. Its shape is said to recall a mine tunnel ('Stollen'), a nod to the region's mining past.
Source: Wikipedia · Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Held on the Saturday before the second Sunday of Advent, the festival parades a three- to four-tonne Stollen through the streets to the market. There it is cut with a 1.6-metre silver-plated knife, a copy of a 1730 original, and sold in slices for charity. It revives a tradition that Augustus the Strong started in 1730 with a 1.7-tonne cake.
Source: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
A 14-metre Erzgebirge Christmas pyramid and what is described as the world's largest usable Christmas arch (13.5 m wide) are the market's landmarks. Both are celebrated at a festival on an Advent weekend.
Source: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Many stalls sell carved wooden decorations. The craft began when miners from the nearby Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) lost their work and turned to carving, putting mining and religious symbols into designs that are still sold today.
Source: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
the fruit loaf that gave the market its name (Striezel), sold at many stalls.
Source: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
carved figures, nutcrackers and candle arches from the Ore Mountains region.
Source: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Dresden is the capital of Saxony and, with its suburbs, home to about 790,000 people on the river Elbe. For centuries it was the residence of the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who filled it with art and architecture, and its Baroque and Rococo centre earned it the nickname 'Jewel Box'.
Allied bombing at the end of the Second World War killed about 25,000 people and destroyed much of the centre, much of which has since been rebuilt. In winter the rebuilt old town around the Altmarkt makes a natural walking route from one market to the next.
Sources: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
AIA Labs publishes this page as an independent guide. It is not the market's own website.