Security beefed up to protect German Christmas market tradition

DW (English)

Carefree visits to Christmas markets in Germany are no longer a given following a deadly attack on the market in Magdeburg in 2024. But local authorities and business owners do everything to keep the tradition alive.

Transcript

00:00The Striezelmarkt in Dresden is Germany's oldest Christmas market, with two and a half million visitors every year.

00:10And nearly 500,000 of them spend at least one night in Dresden.

00:16Stefan Heilig is responsible for security.

00:20He developed a security concept together with the local authorities

00:25to prevent attacks like the one at the Christmas market in Magdeburg last year.

00:30There are massive steel bollards, access barriers and concrete blocks,

00:36all paid for by the city of Dresden, at least for now.

00:40The cost question remains unresolved for now.

00:44Right now the city of Dresden is covering the security costs.

00:49Those are huge costs.

00:51In recent years the city has spent a lot of money, well over two million euros, to buy the protection materials.

00:58That's a lot of money.

01:00And it's an important economic factor here.

01:04The security measures are meant to prevent vehicles from getting close to people at the Christmas market.

01:12To make them feel safer.

01:14And it is working, in part.

01:18Yes, it's about my or our security, or the security of all the guests or visitors at the Christmas market.

01:25And I think it's important that we spend something on that.

01:29You hear a lot of bad things, and that goes through your head.

01:33Hopefully nothing happens.

01:35Safety is a must.

01:38But to what extent?

01:40Where will it lead?

01:42When I think back to my youth, that didn't exist.

01:45It's kind of a bit strange.

01:50In another part of Dresden, early in the morning at the Augustusmarkt.

01:55This privately organized Christmas market is considerably smaller than the Stritzelmarkt.

02:00There are also bollards and entrance barriers here.

02:03The barriers are closed half an hour before the market opens.

02:08So goods can only be delivered until then.

02:11For many traders, that's a challenge because they have to come earlier.

02:16And that means more stuff, says Holger Zastro, the operator of Augustusmarkt.

02:21And if the city doesn't assume the cost of the bollards and entrance barriers, then many small Christmas markets may shut down.

02:31Traders already have a lot of pressure.

02:34Everything is more expensive.

02:36People aren't spending as they used to.

02:38We have a very difficult economic situation.

02:41Every trader, food stall owner or performer is noticing that.

02:45We are stretched to the limit.

02:47More costs mean higher prices.

02:50Then people don't buy that.

02:52If you charge eight euros for a small bag of almonds, customers aren't ready to pay that.

02:58And there's no point in charging these kind of prices.

03:02The fears fade into the background as the Christmas spirit takes over at the Augustusmarkt and the Stritzelmarkt.

03:09Locals and visitors from across the world can enjoy Christmas drink and food,

03:14including the famous Dresden Christmas Stollen, which is only baked here in the region.

03:19Where are the other people in the year?

03:20And the exponents.

03:21In the region?

03:22Where are the

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