Five Great Products at Tirol's Christmas Markets
Tirol's Christmas markets are a great place for hand-crafted products. Grab a mug of steaming-hot Glühwein and stroll from hut to hut for an insight into the region's long and proud handicraft tradition. We have put together five of the best items on offer – and where to find them.
1. Honey and Beeswax Products
Bees love the mountains. Alpine meadows with their long grass and many flowers offer more nectar and pollen than urban areas and those where the grass is kept short. At most Christmas markets in Tirol you will find a hut selling honey, beeswax and other related products. We recommend a trip to the Seefeld Advent Market, where young beekeeper Ferdinand Schot sells honey, beeswax candles, honey soap and mead vinegar.
2. Freshly Made "Kiachl"
"Kiachl" are a traditional dish only served around Christmas. They can be described as a kind of thick pancake which is fried in oil and served either with cranberry sauce and icing sugar or with Sauerkraut. We recommend the ones at the Hall Advent Market freshly made by Christoph Fischler.
3. Pinewood Products
Pine trees are found throughout Tirol, so it comes as no surprise that wood from this typical alpine tree is used for pretty much everything. Pinewood has been employed for decades to make furniture and wood-panelling for walls, but these days you will also find cushions filled with pine shavings (said to offer a particularly good night's sleep) as well many more weird and wonderful things crafted from this hardy tree. We recommend the hut at the St. Johann Christmas Market run by the Zehentner family. It sells small sculptures and figurines with intricate details made from pinewood.
4. Christmas Tree Decorations
Officially the smallest town in Austria, Rattenberg is known for its glass-blowing industry dating back 400 years. For those in search of a few bits and pieces for the Christmas tree, we recommend a visit to the Rattenberg Advent Market – not only because of the beautiful baubles on sale in the glass-blowing workshops, but also because (unlike most markets) there are no artificial lights. The narrow streets of the oldtown are instead lit by oil lamps and burning torches.
5. Warm Woolen Wear
Cold feet are maybe the only good reason not to visit the local Christmas market. But never fear, we have the solution – and you can find it right at the market itself! Woolly socks and woolly shoe insoles are just two of the many wool-based items to be found at Christmas markets throughout Tirol. We recommend the natural products spold by Villgrater Natur at the Lienz Christmas Market.
Wolfgang Westermeier rides to the office every morning. On the weekends he likes nothing more than trying out new sports in the mountains – from hot-balloon rides in winter to trailrunning races in summer.
