Neuhäuser Bergweihnacht

Christmas market in the highest town in Thuringia

The Neuhäuser Bergweihnacht takes place every year on the 3rd Advent weekend — in Neuhaus am Rennweg, the highest town in Thuringia (around 835 meters altitude) on the Rennsteig ridge. The festively lit market square, decorated with a Christmas tree and lights, invites you for a cozy stroll: mulled wine stalls, hearty sausages and baked apples, sweet specialities like Pulsnitz gingerbread and Swiss doughnuts (Krapfen), as well as craft stalls with regional wood carvings, glass art from the Thuringian Forest, and wooden toys.

Wooden church, Christmas concert, and children's program

A highlight of the Bergweihnacht is the Christmas concert in the centre of the market — usually with a brass choir, church choir, or regional bands. In the historic wooden church of Neuhaus — one of the few churches in Central Germany built entirely of wood — a church café is set up, complementing the market with its Advent character. The Christkind and St. Nicholas visit the children in the market square and hand out small gifts.

Bergweihnacht — a special atmosphere

The town's high altitude — over 800 meters above sea level — makes the Neuhäuser Bergweihnacht special. There is usually snow in the third week of Advent, the days get dark early, and the festive lighting of the market square shines all the more intensely. Those arriving from the valley experience a different kind of winter — and a Christmas market that captures the atmosphere of an alpine mountain Christmas in the German low mountain ranges.

Neuhaus am Rennweg in the Sonneberg district

Neuhaus am Rennweg belongs to the Sonneberg district in the state of Thuringia, on the border with Bavaria. The town has always been a centre for Thuringian glassblowing and wood carving. The Rennsteig — the famous high-altitude hiking trail along the ridge of the Thuringian Forest — runs directly through the town. Visitors coming for the Bergweihnacht can easily combine the market visit with a walk on the Rennsteig or a trip to a glassblowing workshop.