Weihnachtsmarkt Bergen auf Rügen

Advent Weekend on the Island

Bergen auf Rügen is not what one imagines as a classic Christmas market town – not Nuremberg, not Dresden, not the mulled wine density of a big city. Instead, on the 2nd weekend of Advent, you get something here that many Christmas markets have long lost: a quiet, authentic market supported by the local community against the backdrop of a brick church over 800 years old.

Two Markets That Have Grown Together

The Bergen Christmas market is actually made up of two complementary parts. On the market square – where the weekly market usually takes place – are the classic stalls: regional specialities, crafts, Christmas decorations, and a stage programme with brass bands, choirs, and pre-Christmas performances. Right next door, in the cloister courtyard around St. Mary's Church, the church community runs its own smaller market. Here, mulled wine and bratwurst dominate, supplemented by regional crafts and a visit from St. Nicholas for children and adults. The two markets function as a unit: you walk the few metres between the town hall and the church tower and move seamlessly from the town's programme to the church's cloister courtyard.

The Culinary Offer

Typical for the region is the mix of North German classics and Christmas market standards: fish rolls with matjes or herring, potato pancakes with apple sauce, bratwurst from a charcoal grill, Lübeck marzipan – Rügen is close enough to the Hanseatic city for this to be part of Christmas time here too – plus mulled wine, punch, and hot chocolate. The stalls are mainly run by traders and associations from the Vorpommern-Rügen district.

What Distinguishes Bergen's Market from Larger Ones

Anyone hoping for glitter, a Ferris wheel, and 200 stalls is in the wrong place. The Bergen Christmas market is deliberately kept small, lasts only one weekend, and is mainly visited by island residents. That's exactly what makes it special: it's a village Christmas market in the format of a district town, where people know each other, meet acquaintances, and stop for a glass of mulled wine. The Gothic St. Mary's Church in the background creates an almost Scandinavian atmosphere, especially after dusk when the stalls are lit and the brass bands play from the church.

What Can Be Well Combined

• Visit to St. Mary's Church – the largest church on the island, with 13th-century Romanesque wall paintings
• A walk across the market square and through the old town of Bergen
• Advent weekend in the Baltic Sea resorts of Binz, Sellin, or Göhren – each 15–25 minutes away by car
• A walk on the beach along the winter Baltic Sea, followed by mulled wine in the cloister courtyard