German Christmas markets in Sofia and Plovdiv
Sofia and Plovdiv will both have German-style Christmas Markets in 2012.
In Sofia, the German embassy will hold a Christmas market on December 1 while the German and Austrian embassies have co-operated in the opening of a German Weihnachtsmarkt near the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. The latter opened on November 26 and will continue until December 22.
At the Christmas market at the German embassy on December 1, the event – being held for the 10th time – will raise funds for charity.
The Weihnachtsmarkt near the Ivan Vazov Theatre is being held in Sofia for the second time, after the 2011 event near Parliament. Mulled wine and many German specialities are on offer at a variety of stalls.
For the first time, Bulgaria’s second city of Plovdiv will have its own German Christmas market, the honorary consul of Germany, Mariana Cholakova, said.
The market, on Stefan Stambolov Square, will open at 10am on December 1 and continue until December 22. It is under the patronage of the German and Austrian ambassadors and the mayor of Plovdiv.
The cluster of 12 wooden stalls built in traditional style will offer a similar range of German treats, with revenue going to charity, 50 per cent to benefit the Maria Louisa home for children deprived of parental care and the rest to other socially-worthy projects.
During the German Christmas market in Plovdiv, there will be performances by children from schools and kindergartens in the city.
Cholakova was quoted by local media as saying that the German Christmas bazaar in Plovdiv would offer something for the whole family and its unifying effect was crucial to the city’s bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2019.
(Main photo: Enrico Corno/sxc.hu)
