handgemacht-Tage Jena

Arts and Crafts in the Heart of Jena

The handgemacht-Tage transform Jena's market square into an open arts and crafts market in mid-April. Stalls of regional craftspeople, artists, and producers line the area around the town hall and St. Michael's Church. The concept: no trinkets, no mass-produced goods — only originally handmade products with a clear origin and story. The exhibitors come from Jena itself, the Saale-Unstrut region, and from Saxony-Anhalt, the wine and craft hinterland of Jena.

Alongside the Thuringian Wood Market

Since its premiere in 2024, the handgemacht-Tage have been held concurrently with the traditional Thuringian Wood Market. The Wood Market, one of Thuringia's oldest markets, has centuries of tradition and brings together turners, carpenters, sculptors, and wood artists from all over Central Germany. The handgemacht-Tage complement the offerings with ceramics, textiles, jewellery, 3D-printed art, and food products — the markets complement each other without competing.

What You'll Find at the Market

The exhibitors offer a wide spectrum: handmade ceramics from regional pottery workshops, textiles and fashion made from natural materials, jewellery in silver, wood, and stone, artistic woodwork and 3D-printed objects, natural cosmetics from regional manufacturers, vegetarian and vegan specialities for tasting, as well as wines from Saale-Unstrut (Germany's northernmost wine-growing region), beers from microbreweries, and liqueurs from regional distilleries. You can talk directly with the makers — many exhibitors continue to work on-site and demonstrate their techniques live.

Jena — University City in the Saale Valley

Jena is located in the Saale valley in the state of Thuringia, nestled between the Muschelkalk mountains of Jenzig, Kernberge, and Tatzend. With Friedrich Schiller University (founded in 1558), the city has a strong academic tradition and is now considered a hub for photonics, optics, and biotechnology (Carl Zeiss, Jenoptik). This makes the market square particularly vibrant on festive days — students, scientists, families, and market visitors mingle. The handgemacht-Tage benefit from this urban atmosphere: a curated market with an attentive, discerning audience.