Lößnitz Christmas Market with Grand Miners' Parade

Advent Tradition Since 1691

Lößnitz, a small mining town in the western Ore Mountains in the Erzgebirgskreis district, has something during Advent that many larger cities lack: an uninterrupted tradition since 1691. The Lößnitz Christmas Market has been held for over 300 years on the third weekend of Advent — a date that has become firmly established in the calendar of the Ore Mountains mining towns. In the market square, framed by the town hall and historic burgher houses, a small, very personal market town is set up year after year, focusing on Ore Mountains folk art, nutcrackers, candle arches (Schwibbögen), bobbin lace, and miner figures.

The Grand Miners' Parade — Heartpiece of the Weekend

The actual heartpiece is the Grand Miners' Parade on Sunday. Around 450 miners from the region's mining and miners' associations march through the town in their traditional Habit costume to the market square: black uniforms with white feathered hats, sabers at their sides, pickaxes over their shoulders. The Habit costume is a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Ore Mountains/Krušnohoří Mining Region World Heritage. In the market square, the miners form an impressive phalanx, and for visitors not standing directly in front, a 21 m² LED screen broadcasts the event. This broadcast makes it possible for everyone standing in the alleys or in front of the stalls to see the actual spectacle.

Star March of Kindergartens for the Opening

The kick-off on Friday evening belongs to the children: the star march of the kindergartens leads the Lößnitz children with self-made stars and lanterns through the town center to the market square. There, the mayor opens the market and lights the pyramid. It is a deliberately family-friendly start that shapes the character of the festival: the Lößnitz Christmas Market is not an anonymous big-city market, but a civic festival of the mining town that thrives on local tradition.

Program Between Brass Choir and Miners' Music

Saturday and Sunday are characterized by the traditional stage program: Lößnitz Bronze Carillon, brass ensemble, brass choir in the St. Johannis town church, fairy tale characters on stage, children's magic, Christmas concert, and on Sunday evening, miners' music. This mix of sacred Advent music and miners' songs is found in this form only in the mining towns of the Ore Mountains. Anyone who wants to experience the 'real' Ore Mountains Advent will find it in Lößnitz.

Ore Mountains Advent Around Lößnitz

The mining towns around Lößnitz — Schneeberg, Aue, Eibenstock, Schwarzenberg — each have their own Advent markets and miners' parades. Visitors to Lößnitz can use the entire weekend for a short tour of the region. Lößnitz stands out due to the age of its tradition (since 1691) and the close integration of the citizenry, miners' associations, and the church. A visit to the St. Johannis town church with its baroque altar is just as worthwhile as a stroll through the upper town with its miners' houses.