Magdeburg · Germany
Magdeburg Christmas Market
Magdeburger Weihnachtsmarkt
23 Nov – 29 Dec 2026 Not confirmed
Official websiteDates and hours may change. Check them on the market's official site.
Key facts
| City | Magdeburg |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Location | Magdeburg, Germany |
| Dates | 23 Nov – 29 Dec 2026 Not confirmed |
| Opening hours | Sun–Thu 11:00–21:00; Fri–Sat 11:00–23:00 |
| Official website | Official website |
| Source | Source |
| Map pin | 52.13162, 11.63886. Approximate location from the sources used for this page. |
About the market
The Magdeburg Christmas market is held every year on the Alter Markt (Old Market Square) in Saxony-Anhalt's capital. Its backdrop is the Old Town Hall, the Johanniskirche and the Magdeburg Rider. It opens on the Monday after Totensonntag and runs to 30 December. More than two million people visit each year. The German article counts about 160 stalls, while the English article says over 125, and the English article calls it the largest Christmas market in Saxony-Anhalt. The market traces back to a late medieval sales fair where townspeople stocked up on food before winter, and it became a pre-Christmas custom in the mid-20th century. After the 1945 bombing it moved to Leiterstraße. In the 1970s it returned to the Alter Markt and also used the Zentraler Platz. Since the Allee-Center was built on that square in 1995, it has been held only on the Alter Markt. Attractions include a 38-metre Ferris wheel with 26 gondolas and an 8.5-metre Christmas pyramid with a gallery for musicians. There is also a Historical Christmas Market with medieval attractions, a fairy-tale lane for children, a nativity scene (since 2007) and a Glühwein king crowned each year. Local food includes Magdeburg kale and the Lemsdorfer Lümmel. A new lighting concept in 2019 used 1.1 million LEDs. On 20 December 2024 a car was driven into the crowd, killing six people and injuring around 300, and the season ended early.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
About Magdeburg
Magdeburg is the capital and most populous city of Saxony-Anhalt and lies on the Elbe. Its population is about 244,000. It was first mentioned in 805 in a Charlemagne document, and Otto I, founder of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, is buried in its cathedral. The city's version of German town law, the Magdeburg rights, spread across Central and Eastern Europe. In the Late Middle Ages it was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable Hanseatic League member. Martin Luther went to school there in 1497, and the city later became a stronghold of Protestantism. It is also known for Otto von Guericke and his Magdeburg hemispheres experiment. The city suffered three major devastations: a fire in 1207, the sack of 1631, and the 1945 bombing that destroyed much of the centre. From 1949 to 1990 it belonged to East Germany, and it marked its 1,200th anniversary in 2005. Landmarks shown in the article include Magdeburg Cathedral, the Green Citadel, the Town Hall and the Millennium Tower. Cultural institutions include Theater Magdeburg and the Museum of Cultural History, and there are two universities. Its Christmas market on the Alter Markt is the city's main winter highlight in these sources.
Sources: Wikipedia. Some wording is drawn from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Photos
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AIA Labs publishes this page as an independent guide. It is not the market's own website.