Nuremberg's Christmas Market of Sister Cities
After the Second World War, Nuremberg strove for international contact as a contribution to international understanding and European unity; Nuremberg has dealt intensely with the past and the causes of the fact that Nuremberg is associated with the terrors of the Third Reich and has continuously developed its human rights activities through manifold activities and projects. One of these projects is the Christmas Market of Nuremberg's Sister Cities.
On this “stroll around the world,” visitors are treated to a truly international selection: For example, Chinese silk scarves or Ukrainian knitted dolls. Christmas decorations from various countries are just as much a part of the selection as hand-embroidered blouses from Romania, Italian panozzo, spice blends from Nablus, American street food, one of the most popular dishes from the Balkans—ćevapčići, French fish soup on Thursdays, Turkish salep, yuzu sake, and matcha tea. South Tyrolean mulled wine is considered an insider’s tip, and anyone looking for kosher gingerbread and wine from Hadera will also find it here
For the first time, the Atlanta-Nuremberg Committee (ANKO e.V.) is organizing the Atlanta Booth, which is thus once again represented at the Sister Cities Market. A key focus is the commitment to civil and human rights, which ANKO aims to highlight at the booth in collaboration with the Civil Rights Center.
The sister city associations finance a large portion of their social, humanitarian, and cultural work through the proceeds from their booths. For example, the San Carlos Association supports a cultural center for children, while Arete supports a women’s shelter and energy-saving stove projects. The Nablus Initiative uses its proceeds for humanitarian and social projects, and the operators of the Togo booth support the “Mother Teresa Orphanage”.
For the city's efforts to promote union and understanding among the people of Europe, the City of Nuremberg and the Nuremberg citizens were presented with the „Golden Stars of Town Twinning“ of the European Commission in 2002 and 2007 with „The Europe Prize“, the highest award given by the Council of Europe to only one or two cities within the 47 member states per year.