Drive-ins, scattered huts in German Xmas markets

Landshut: Chestnuts roasting, mulled wine steaming and music blaring from wooden chalets lined with artificial snow — the Landshut Christmas market in southern Germany has all the usual trimmings.

But this year, visitors must enjoy the sights and smells of the traditional Christmas market from inside their cars due to precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Every night after dark, several dozen vehicles roll into the Christmas market drive-in, their occupants cosy and socially distanced inside.

Once through the gates, they must wait for an employee wearing a mask and a Christmas hat to knock on their window and offer them a menu of savoury treats to choose from, such as crepes, sausages and roasted chestnuts.

Orders placed, they can then drive on to the next hut offering sweets such as candy floss or gingerbread hearts.”We take our inspiration from fast-food chains,” smiles Patrick Schmidt, 31, market organiser and owner of the Zollhaus Landshut restaurant.

“We wanted to recreate a bit of the Christmas atmosphere, even if it’s more complicated this year.” The markets have been an annual fixture in Germany since the 15th century, when craftsmen and bakers were given special permission to ply their wares in town squares in the run-up to Christmas.

The world-famous Nuremberg Christmas market has been cancelled this year but managed to hold an online version of its traditional opening ceremony.