Munich has many beautiful Christmas markets, no doubt about it, but sometimes you long for a change. In such cases, it’s time for a trip to the surrounding area, because the Christmas markets here are also impressive. Not far from Munich lies your small town, which can even call itself the “Best Christmas City” and whose Christmas market was voted the best in Upper Bavaria.
Small town with big personalities
The medieval town near the Danube is best known for its son Aventinus. He was none other than the founder of Bavarian historiography. His magnum opus was his chronicle, which set out the history of Bavaria up to 1460, and he later also published the first map of Bavaria. He was also active in philology and published several grammars as well as the first printed encyclopaedia. There is a bust in his honor in the Walhalla.
Another important city personality was Niklas von Abensberg. He was a knight and governor of the municipality and was known for his almsgiving to poor people. This donation and a Christmas market named after him still exist today in his honor.
The Niklas market in Abensberg
The Niklasmarkt takes place in the castle garden on the first three weekends in Advent. From Thursday to Sunday, you can stroll past the festively decorated stalls and sample the delicacies against the historic backdrop of the castle. On the first two Thursdays, the Niklasspende is performed, which commemorates the knight and his alms gifts. Afterwards, the children receive Niklas gingerbread at the Christmas market.
But there is even more on offer for children. The train in the Brunnenhof will take you on a Christmas tour or you can take a carriage ride with horses instead. If you want to be catered for at the Niklasmarkt, reserve the Hexenheisl for yourself and your friends and family. You can sit here in the cozy hut for up to two hours and enjoy the delicacies of the Christmas market.
More Christmas markets in Abensberg
As the Best Christmas City, Abensberg has even more to offer than just the Niklasmarkt. Another Christmas market awaits you at the Kuchlbauer Tower of the brewery of the same name. The curious 34-metre-high structure is dedicated to Bavarian beer and the art of brewing. Against this fantastic backdrop, you can enjoy Christmas delicacies and store at the arts and crafts market during Advent.
A third Christmas market, Hüttenzauber, awaits you in the city center on the town square. Here, too, you can enjoy numerous culinary delights and arts and crafts amidst a festive sea of lights. Here you will also find the witch’s cottage, which signals the presence of the witch by billowing smoke. Then the door opens and she hands out sweets to children. She seems to prefer to be at home on Fridays and Sundays at 5 pm.
The Krampus show also takes place on the town square during St. Nicholas’ Day. The Krampus, witches, devils and other spooky creatures impress with a spectacular performance with a fire show. St. Nicholas and his angels are also there to hand out sweets to the little ones.
The nativity scenes in Abensberg provide even more Christmas spirit. From Aventinusplatz, you can look over the town wall into the moat and see the world’s first leaning nativity scene. In the evening, a floating nativity scene awaits you, its lights reflected in the water of the river.
From Munich, it takes about an hour by car and 90 minutes by train to Abensberg. Even away from Christmas, the small town with its colorful little houses, the curious art house and the remains of the castle is worth a detour.