The number of visitors is down at Magdeburg’s Christmas market, but more have come than expected – Image: Julie Gregson/DW
In the eastern city of Magdeburg, Germany, people are still grieving one year after an attack on the Christmas market killed six people. But residents are also trying to carry on despite the heightened security.
Police officers — one toting a submachine gun — and security guards are grouped around the entrances to Magdeburg’s Christmas market. Occasionally, people are stopped and questioned. Large red and green concrete blocks, sand sacks and steel security barriers line the access points to the market, situated in the square by the city hall.
On December 20, 2024, six people were killed here — five women and a 9-year-old boy — and more than 300 were injured, some severely, when a man drove a vehicle into the crowds. His precise motives remain unclear.
Stallholder Mirko Stage was standing just 20 meters (65 feet) away from the area where most victims were killed in Magdeburg on December 20, 2024.
Just around the corner from his sugared-almonds and waffle stand, there are memorial stones set into the pavement, adorned with candles and flowers.
Stage had his stall near the site of the attack, but is happy he decided to come back – Image: Julie Gregson/DW
Stage, who lives in Magdeburg, said he had had some qualms ahead of the November 20 opening. “All of us went into this Christmas market with a funny feeling because we weren’t sure how it would be to suddenly reopen here after the events of last year,” said Stage.
He said his experiences had been unexpectedly positive, with stallholders and visitors beginning to open up and process their grief. “First of all, you are shocked and depressed,” he said, “and, at some point, you start talking to one another about what happened.”
Stage said visitors had approached him to share their experiences. “People who say: “I was standing there as a first-aider and was standing there and there that evening.” Those very people are returning here because the Old Market Square is the city’s living room. We don’t want to let this be taken away from us by some kind of crazy perpetrator,” said Stage.
Karim Champi, an Italian stallholder with Tunisian roots, saw the attacker’s car drive right past his olive-wood handicrafts stall.
His stall now stands in a different location. “This year, there aren’t as many tourists. People are frightened,” he said, tearing up.
Christmas cheer and tragedy side-by-side
This market in Germany has been given a redesign. The optical changes — along with the security measures — are intended to calm people’s anxieties.
Not everyone is convinced by the changes. “It’s like Fort Knox,” said one Christmas market visitor. “It’s madness all this barricading.” The 54-year-old lives almost 60 kilometers from Magdeburg, but he came here with his wife “out of principle and protest.”
“If we don’t come, he has won,” he added in reference to the attacker, sipping a mulled wine.
As dusk settles and the lights go on, more people begin to arrive at the market. The hum of voices, Christmas music, and fairground rides becomes louder. Couples, families and friends of all ages stroll across the square or gather.
Karim Champi, an Italian stallholder with Tunisian roots, saw the attacker’s car drive right past his olive-wood handicrafts stall – Image: Julie Gregson/DW
Mixed opinions about market reopening
Magdeburg’s Christmas market has about 140 stands this year. Traditional wooden Christmas decorations from the Ore Mountains and illuminated stars are on offer. But lots of food, too — from German Bratwurst and Christmas biscuits to burgers, Belgian waffles and, this year, falafels.
Market managing director Paul-Gerhard Stieger said not everyone had agreed with the decision to hold the event again this year.
“Some of those affected by the attack, of course, say: ‘How can you do this here?’ and there are some city residents of that opinion, too,” Stieger said. “But there are also people directly affected who have approached us and said they think it is important that the Christmas market takes place here.”
The number of visitors is down this year. Turnout, says Stieger, is nonetheless better than expected. He conceded that holding the event was a tricky balancing act. “Of course, a Christmas market is a commercial event, but it’s also the stallholders’ livelihood. It’s their peak season.”
The market organizer said only two stallholders had pulled out — one in connection with the tragic events. And there were even 10 newcomers this year, Stieger said.
Among them is Fares Saleh Aga, who came from Syria to the city eight years ago and now runs a falafel store in the city. He said he had decided to come here to send a signal.
Vendor Fares Saleh Aga came from Syria to Magdeburg eight years ago and has set up shop at the Christmas market this year to send a signal – Image: Julie Gregson/DW
“People walk past me and see a friendly face. The meaning of Christmas is peace. I am very happy. The people are nice,” said Aga, who was giving people heart-shaped chickpea balls to taste.
One visitor there with her husband and son said she welcomed the inclusion of food from other cultures. The 49-year-old conceded feeling a little uneasy, but added, “Christmas markets are definitely part of Christmas for us. It is our tradition and we love Christmas.” She said she also wanted to support the traders.
Fake news about canceled Christmas markets
Frank Hakelberg, CEO of the Deutscher Schaustellerbund, a national organization representing event stallholders and fairground operators, confirmed that this year’s visitor figures were lower across Germany, but said they seemed to be picking up in the run-up to the holidays. He blamed a social media campaign, in part, for the slow start to the season.
Hakelberg said his organization had fielded media inquiries from all over the world after rumors went viral that Christmas markets were being canceled in Germany. In fact, he stressed that only a handful or so of the 3,200 major markets in the country had been called off.
He said there was no such thing as 100% security — no matter how tight the measures are.
On December 12, a man was detained in Magdeburg in connection with suspected plans to attack the Christmas market.
The trial of last year’s perpetrator has been underway in the city since October. He is charged with six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder. The now 51-year-old was detained minutes after the attack and has admitted to driving the hire car involved. He does not appear to have had Islamist motives.
The market is closed on Saturday. Instead, memorial services will be held to commemorate the one-year anniversary. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Saxony-Anhalt State Premier Reiner Haseloff will be present. A cross-faith initiative is calling for people to form a chain of light around the Christmas market.
(DW.com/NAN 20-12-25)
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