In Berchtesgaden, Germany

December 24, 2008 · Posted in Eurail, Germany 

Berchtesgaden Market

Wander up into the hills onto the cobblestone streets, and you’ll find a small Christmas market between the towering church and royal residence in the old town center of Berchtesgaden.


This market may be one of the smaller markets I’ve visited, but it is as ideal as any: intimate, with local food and craftspeople, a large tree in the square and musicians performing regularly through the afternoon.

At 3pm each day in the week leading up to Christmas, the region erupts in gunfire, as townspeople continue the winter tradition of shooting into the sky.

Shooters

Some say it is to let the approaching Christ child know where good children live, others say it is to scare off evil winter spirits.

And in the snowy hilltops above Berchtesgaden, I am invited to a Christmas Eve tradition from hundreds of years ago.

Krampus arrival

Loud bells begin clanking from the forest, as St. Nicholas and a gaggle of Krampus appear. They run through the village of 400, alternately greeting the inhabitants of each house, and whipping them with a special forest whip. (And hard, it hurts!)

Krampus

The Krampus creatures scare the children to be good in the new year, and St. Nicholas rewards all of those who have been good in the past year. They must have thought I had been somewhere between good and bad this year, because they presented me with my own special forest whip. Probably it’s my favorite gift this Christmas.

Krampus Whip

It is part of a unique Christmas tradition on a continent that originated so many Christmas traditions centuries ago. A fitting place to find myself on these Christmas days, after a season of adventure and wonder.

Benjamin Thomas

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Comments

3 Responses to “In Berchtesgaden, Germany”

  1. Adam Skipper on January 2nd, 2009 5:58 pm

    Thanks for these ideas. Next year I’d like to use a Eurail Pass to see these Christmas places. Is there one Pass that will cover all of these places that you are writing about? Happy New Year!

    Adam

  2. Benjamin Thomas on January 11th, 2009 3:30 pm

    Hello Adam — Yes, you can certainly use a Eurail Pass to see all of these Christmas places. I used the Global Pass. It’s a fun time to go. Have fun, Benjamin

  3. TOM on January 11th, 2009 9:12 pm

    I HAVE BEEN THERE SEVERAL TIMES AND IS BEAUTIFUL ESPECIALLY DURNING THE INTER WHEN THE SNOW COMES DOWN AND UP TO HILTERS HOME AND THE CASTEL AS WELL.

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