Some 2,600 Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets) known for their sparkling Christmas trees and wooden stalls serving candied nuts, sausages, mulled wine, and handicrafts opened across Germany this week under tighter than usual security. Cities across Germany are increasing their security this holiday season with security staff on hand and concrete barriers to protect shoppers after an Islamist militant killed 12 people by driving a truck into crowds at a market in Berlin last December.
Police are boosting security in those in cities with large populations of US military personnel. Video surveillance, increased police presence and other measures will be in place for the downtown market in Kaiserslautern, city police spokeswoman Christiane Lautenschlaeger said Monday. About 50,000 US personnel and their families live in the area, making it the largest overseas US military community.
Security will be focused on both preventing terror attacks and petty crimes, such as pickpocketing, Lautenschlaeger said. Police will also check drivers in the area for alcohol impairment and US military police will patrol alongside their German counterparts, an Air Force spokeswoman said.
Christmas markets are a piece of the German culture that shouldn’t disappear – German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere
In Stuttgart, home to US European Command and US Africa Command, a large Christmas market will operate over several city streets until Dec. 23. Major streets leading to the market will be blocked, police spokesman Jens Lauer said. “There will be an increased number of police officers at the Christmas market as well as in the city’s center,” according to Lauer. Stuttgart has already held multiple festivals this year where it has used roadblocks and police armed with machine guns for protection.
Wiesbaden, home of US Army Europe headquarters, will follow similar procedures at its market. There is no such thing as total protection from a terrorist attack, “but we do our best to prevent it from happening,” according to Wiesbaden police spokesman Markus Hoffmann.
As cities add barriers to their Christmas markets to prevent car attacks, some are making them a bit festive to help them blend into the holiday scenes less obstructively. For example, Bochum authorities placed 20 1.2-ton pellet bags downtown for their Christmas market and discovered Thursday morning that the city’s official marketing service had wrapped the barriers overnight to look like Christmas gifts.
“For us it was very important to fit in those ugly barriers into the beautiful overall atmosphere,” said Mario Schiefelbein, the head of Bochum Marketing.
Authorities in the Bavarian city of Augsburg are using decorated trucks from market sellers as car barriers, while officials in Munich are blocking their Christmas market streets with evergreen planters.
In Nuremberg, home of Germany’s most famous Christmas market, they plan to use large Christmas trees in large, heavy planters and concrete barriers covered in holiday decorations to block access points. In addition, Nuremberg market’s entrance will be surrounded by police cars, and police presence has been increased in the market’s alleys.
Authorities in the Bavarian city of Augsburg are using decorated trucks from market sellers as car barriers, while officials in Munich are blocking their Christmas market streets with evergreen planters.
Michael Fraas, head of Nuremberg’s economic department, which is responsible for the market, doesn’t believe the increased security will diminish the holiday cheer. The markets are beloved by Germans and a major tourist attraction for visitors this time of year. “In the last year, people have told me that they feel safe when the police are there,” Fraas said. “Police, too, have told me that they have been approached by people who have said, ‘It’s good that you’re here.’”
Christmas markets are a piece of the German culture that shouldn’t disappear. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called on Germans not to stay away out of fear, saying, “Christmas markets are part of our life and culture.” But he also said that “the terror threat is simply very high. Anytime. Anywhere.”
