Bautzen – Wenzelsmarkt Photos

Tach,

Why Wenzel market, why the oldest Christmas market in Germany?

The city’s website says:
According to research commissioned by the city, Bautzen’s Fleischmarkt (meat market) prior to Christmas is a very old market, maybe even the oldest Christmas market in Germany, even if the there is no final documentary evidence available. As reported by various chronologists, King Wenzel granted the city Budissin the right to have a free meat market in 1384. Starting on St. Michael’s Day all butchers were allowed to publicly sell their meat at the market. The butchers had the right to sell meat until Christmas. In 1402 all existing city markets were placed under special protection based on a decree from King Wenzel and additional markets were forbidden. This order was confirmed by King Wladislaus with a deed in 1505 and thus also the free meat market, as it was in Budissin »kept as long as people can remember for hundreds of years«. This also puts in a good word for the year 1384.

http://www.bautzen.de/weihnachten-in-bautzen.asp