Cottbus Christmas Market of 1000 Stars

Sea of Stars in Cottbus City Center

The Cottbus Christmas Market is renowned beyond the Niederlausitz region for its light installations. More than 1000 Herrnhut stars — the handcrafted glass stars from the traditional Moravian Church community — are hung above the Altmarkt, Spremberger Straße, and Berliner Platz, illuminated in Cottbus's red and white city colors. The Altmarkt also features a 14-meter-high Christmas tree, adorned with over 1000 Herrnhut stars, forming the centerpiece of the display.

Three-Story Pyramid and Ferris Wheel

A three-story pyramid — one of the traditional Ore Mountains symbols of pre-Christmas folk art — provides a second focal point with its illuminated mechanics. At Berliner Platz, an accessible Ferris wheel offers panoramic views of the city center, a highlight especially for families and people with reduced mobility.

Ice Rink at Blechen Carré

An ice rink in front of Blechen Carré at Berliner Platz invites skaters. This makes Cottbus one of the few Brandenburg Christmas markets with its own public ice-skating area — a standalone attraction alongside the Christmas market.

Opening with Stollen Cutting Ceremony

The market opens on November 23, 2026, at 3 PM with the traditional Stollen cutting ceremony — an official ritual where a large Stollen is ceremoniously cut by city officials and the bakers' guild and distributed to attendees.

Over 50 Stalls, Regional Accents

Around 50 to 60 stalls are spread across the Altmarkt, Spremberger Straße, and by the Stadtbrunnen, offering regional handicrafts, mulled wine, gingerbread, Stollen, traditional Christmas specialties, bratwurst, and winter street food creations. Sorbian and Lower Sorbian influences are part of the scene, especially in a city on the edge of the Sorbian settlement area.

Cottbus — Cultural Capital of the Niederlausitz

With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the largest city in the Niederlausitz region and an independent city in southern Brandenburg. The Christmas market attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually from the Lausitz, Saxony, and Berlin, as well as neighboring Poland, and is one of the city's tourism highlights.