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A giant stollen at Dresden’s Christmas market

December 4, 2015

Around 100,000 people are expected to attend Dresden’s stollen party on the second advent weekend. A huge stollen, over four metres long, will be driven through Dresden.

https://p.dw.com/p/1HHXS
Deutschland Dresdner Bäcker setzen Riesenstollen zusammen
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Killig

Around 1.2 tonnes of flour, 750 kilos of butter, 200 kilos of sugar and 1.5 million sultanas went into the stollen. 60 bakeries took part in the project.

The procession will start at eleven sharp on Saturday morning to bring the huge cake to the Christmas market. 500 actors will depict the history of the Dresden stollen. The huge cake will then be cut up and sold for charity.

The first giant stollen is said to have been made in 1730. Dresden’s master bakers revived the tradition in 1994.

The tourist industry hopes the traditional Christmas market will reverse the recent drop in the number of tourists coming to Dresden. Some experts say this is due to the xenophobic comments made at the so-called Pegida demonstrations in the city. The demonstrations are also blamed for a drop in takings during the pre-Christmas season compared to previous years.

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