KRAKOW
Dates
Ends 27 December
Where
The picturesque, 13th-century
Rynek Glówny Square in the Old Town.
When it comes to architecture, Krakow is
one of the loveliest Polish cities, and for
character, this Christmas market is hard
to beat, especially if it snows. The huge
Sukkennice (Renaissance Cloth Hall) is
already an indoor market.
Happy Christmas!
Wesołych Swiat
Bozego Narodzenia!
Local traditions
Look out for Nativity
puppet plays in
szopka
(
little theatres),
performed by both professionals and
amateurs. There is a Christmas cribs annual
contest organised by the Krakow Historical
Museum. Cribs are two-metre high colourful
card and foil creations that usually resemble
local baroque churches. They are placed
under the Mickiewicz statue on the morning
of the first Thursday of December, then
go on display in the Museum. One Polish
tradition perplexes Wojciech Noworoski,
owner of Café Noworoski in Cloth Hall.
“
We never eat carp outside of Christmas.
It’s only one or two days out of the year.
It’s strange because it’s not very tasty, but
at this time I like it very much. We eat with
a sweet fish jelly (gefilte fish) made from
ground bone fish. The jelly that is done
Jewish style is very good; it’s made with
almonds and lemon!”
To eat
At the Cloth Hall, opt for plump
sausages, roast pork and sauerkraut,
washed down with a mug of beer.
What tipple?
You can always head to the
Wodka Bar on ul. Mikołajska 5 – it serves
vodka only, and has 60 varieties.
Candy time
At Café Noworoski, try their
cream cake, fantasia, a torte with three
kinds of chocolate for 17 złoty (€4).
SIBIU, NEAR TIRGU MURES
Dates:
Until 26 December
Where:
In the Old Town’s Great Square
(
Piata Mare) at Sibiu, a town about 120km
from Tirgu Mures.
Happy Christmas!
Craciun fericit!
Local traditions
It’s a little mean to
put the scarcity of Christmas markets in
Romania down to the legend of Count
Dracula – after all, German markets have
a Grimm Fairytale vibe. You can probably
more attribute it to Communism. In any
case, Sibiu is the first Romanian town to
FEATURE
CHR I STMAS MARKETS
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2012/13
WIZZ MAGAZINE 37
break with tradition and it has done so
in style, with a huge tree surrounded by
65
stylish, red-roofed huts. Known as the
Targul de Craciun, the Christmas market
has a mini-Santa Park and Little Gifts Shop
for children. It’s all in partnership with the
Austrian Pro Romanian Foundation, and is
now in its sixth year.
To eat
Grilled sausage in the market, and
a lot of pork generally.
Sarmale
is a kind of
pickled cabbage stuffed with pork, beef
and other spices. Christmas Eve is a time
of abstinence in Romania.
What tipple?
Mulled wine or
tuica
(
plum brandy).
Candy time
Cozonac
is Romania’s answer
to panettone.
BELOW:
GINGERBREAD
BISCUITS.
RIGHT:
GIANT
ILLUMINATED TREE IN
KRAKOW’S MAIN SQUARE
