Hello dear Provisualstock community! 🎄 As we embark on this magical journey through Strasbourg’s Christmas markets, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to each one of you. Thank you for being an integral part of our community, supporting Provisualstock, and making this channel flourish. Your encouragement fuels my passion, and I’m truly grateful for your ongoing support. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful winter season filled with warmth, laughter, and unforgettable moments. Let’s continue this incredible journey together in the coming year! 🌟
In this video I invite you to join me on a festive stroll through the heart of Strasbourg’s enchanting Christmas markets. Marvel at the iconic Place Kléber adorned with a magnificent Christmas tree, and explore the lively markets surrounding the famous Strasbourg Cathedral. Immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere of the season, where the air is filled with the scent of mulled wine and the stalls showcase delightful holiday treasures. Experience the joy and warmth of Strasbourg’s Christmas charm in this festive video tour!
0:00-2:26 – Intro
2:27-11:15 – The market in Place Kleber – ahead the Christmas Tree
11:16-18:45 – The Christmas Tree and the surrounding area
18:46-22:08 – The market in Place Kleber – following the Christmas Tree
22:09-24:35 – A stroll between Place Kleber and Place Gutenberg
24:36-28:20 – Place Gutenberg
28:21-34:40 – Rue Merciere and the market in front of the Cathedral
34:41-44:55 – Fairy Tale decorations in Rue du Maroquin
44:56-55:05 – Exploration of the markets from the back side of the Cathedral
55:06-57:05 – Preparation of a French galette in the street
57:06-59:42 – The area around the Merry-Go-Round
59:43-1:00:27 – The end screens
Join Provisualstock to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN9cENXFRo_cwYmmXdWiWYg/join
For royalty free commercial and editorial images please visit Provisualstock.com here: https://www.provisualstock.com/-/gall…
A gallery quality Fine Art Prints please visit Provisualstock.com here:
https://www.provisualstock.com/-/gall…
Discover my coffee table book:
https://www.provisualstock.com/-/gall…
Discover my cycling images collection:
https://www.procyclingimages.com/
Music:
We Wish You A Merry Xmas by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Hello dear friends! Before all, because this video is first publicly released on 24th December, I want to wish you a warm Merry Christmas! Today marks the beginning of a very special time of the year—the last week of December.
To celebrate, I’ve decided to share a few enchanting Christmas Markets from various places across Europe for the next 2-3 weeks. And what better place to start this festive series than in the renowned ‘Christmas Capital’—the charming city of Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France.
A few days ago, I had the chance to spend about 4 hours in the city, exploring two main regions with beautiful, specific, and famous Christmas Markets and decorations. Here, we can see two culinary attractions of the Alsatian winter: the famous mulled wine and the renowned Strasbourg sausages.”
It’s worth mentioning that Strasbourg boasts more than 14 Christmas Markets, and this year, I’ll be showcasing two principal Christmas regions. We began our stroll in Place Kleber, at the heart of the city, where the Market featuring the iconic Christmas Tree is located.
These are the traditional German bagels with a distinct twist, known as ‘brezel’ (Pretzel). In the distance, above the rooftops, you can catch a glimpse of the tower of the renowned Strasbourg Cathedral, a destination we’ll reach shortly. This is the statue of the French revolutionary general Jean-Baptiste Kléber, after whom the square is named.
Under the statue lies a vault containing his remains. Place Kléber, situated in the primary commercial district of the city, traditionally hosts the annual Christmas Tree. Kléber, born in Strasbourg in 1753, is commemorated by a statue designed by Philippe Grass, completed in 1838.
Kléber, a renowned French revolutionary with an education in architecture, contributed to designing various structures during times of peace. Despite the early morning hour, the market is already bustling with activity and visitors.
Slowly, we arrived close to the big Christmas Tree. This year, 2023, it is a 70-year-old fir tree standing at 28.72 meters high. This is another delightful and distinctive sight in the festive streets of Strasbourg: the locomotive selling roasted chestnuts.
Let me know in the comments if you enjoy roasted chestnuts. Personally, I love them! Traditionally, at the base of the tree, residents leave gifts for the less fortunate. These are the famous French pancakes known as “galettes.” They can be prepared as sweet desserts or savory main courses.
To leave this market, we pass through another alley full of interesting objects, often handmade. Then we will head to the next interesting area, the ones surrounding the Cathedral. To navigate between markets, you can use the modern network of Strasbourg’s trams.
But I always prefer to walk through the streets. This way, I can better immerse myself in the mood of the place. After a 5-10 minute walk, we arrive at Place Gutenberg, which is like an antechamber to the main area surrounding The Cathedral.
Here, some stalls offer other traditional Alsatian dishes like flammekueche (a sort of local pizza) and choucroute (a local specialty of fermented raw cabbage). The stork is a kind of symbol for Alsace, so we will find many stork souvenirs and decorations. This is the statue of Johannes Gutenberg, created by David d’Angers in 1840.
Johannes Gutenberg, the German pioneer of letterpress printing in Europe, lived in Strasbourg between 1439 and 1444. We’ve now arrived in front of the famous Strasbourg Cathedral. This area is particularly special and charming during this time of the year.
At the end of this street, there is a beautiful entrance to the Christmas Capital. It looks stunning at night, but since this is a day tour, I won’t be passing through there.
Starting from now, I’ll be silent for a while, allowing you to immerse yourself in the charm and fairytale atmosphere of this unique place. Despite the crowd, you will be impressed like a child by the fantastic decorations and traditional architecture.
I’ll create a different video at another time of the year to present in detail the area, the cathedral, and the historic buildings from here.
I’m sure your inner child’s heart vibrated when you saw those half-timbered house walls adorned with fairy-tale bears and Santa Claus, as if they had just come out of the pages of stories and legends. The streets we have just passed are truly unforgettable and unique.
Now, I’m going to explore the back part of the Cathedral to see what I can discover there. It’s impressive how empty this small backstreet is, especially considering how close it is to the very crowded previous streets.
Here, we can observe some amazing details of the Cathedral’s architecture. The lighting in this moment enhances the beauty of the place. Wow! It seems that in this direction, there’s another market. Let’s take a look! Indeed, it’s another market with many stalls.
And here is a place where we can get white mulled wine. For me, this is new because I thought that red wine is best for mulling. Here we are on the bank of the “Ill River,” which divides Strasbourg and is a tributary to the famous Rhine River.
We are now walking to the backside of the Cathedral. Here is the starting point for the tourist train. Please let me know in the comments if you would like to see city explorations from tourist trains on my channel.
Personally, I prefer walking tours, but if you enjoy tourist train experiences, I’ll consider creating future videos from various cities. We will now discover how the famous French pancake is prepared.
If it is sweet, it is called a “crêpe,” and if it is savory, it is called a “galette.” Let me know in the comments which one you like the most!
We’ve come to the end of our walk. I hope you enjoyed strolling through some of the most famous Christmas Markets in the Christmas Capital, Strasbourg. Thank you for watching this video until the end! If you want to discover new places, things, and facts, please subscribe to my channel.
Also, consider joining the channel and becoming a sponsor, thereby greatly supporting me in the realization of my visual projects on “Provisualstock.” Until next time, take care and keep exploring!