# Christmas markets A thematic map of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. The map is drawn in the browser; this file describes it and lists its variants and links, but not the data values shown on the map. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-markets/ - Map id: 723 - Categories: Society and Culture › Celebrations, events and customs - Keywords: Culture, Leisure time, Tourism - Published: 2019-12-02 - Last revised: 2025-12-04 - Content language: English - Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/weihnachtsmaerkte.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/marches-de-noel.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/mercatini-di-natale.md) ## Description *Provenance* The Christmas markets date back to late medieval sales fairs and markets that gave citizens the opportunity to buy meat and winter supplies at the beginning of the cold season. In the 14th century it became customary to allow craftsmen such as toy makers, basket makers or confectioners to set up stalls at the market. Since about the first half of the 20th century, the markets have become an integral part of pre-Christmas customs and have spread throughout the German-speaking world. *Typical Christmas Market* A typical Christmas market consists of numerous sales stalls in front of an audience-effective scenery on streets and squares of a place. For the catering Christmas bakery products and regional specialities (e.g. gingerbread), various sweets (e.g. roasted almonds, hot chestnuts) as well as warm meals are offered. Warm drinks (e.g. mulled wine, mulled must and punch) are usually served. Furthermore, sales stands for handcrafted Christmas articles (e.g. nativity scenes) or decorations for the Christmas tree (e.g. glass balls, Advent stars) are an integral part of Christmas markets. At larger Christmas markets, goods are mainly offered by professional market drivers. However, there are also markets whose proceeds go to charitable purposes and which are organised by associations which often sell products they have made themselves. ## Sources - Wikipedia contributors (2019): [Weihnachtsmarkt](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weihnachtsmarkt). In: Wikipedia ## Data sources - ETH Zurich: [Atlas of Switzerland](https://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/) ## Data owners - [Brunnvalla (Brunnvalla)](http://www.brunnvalla.ch/weihnachtsmaerkte/index.html) - [Atlas of Switzerland (AoS)](http://www.atlasderschweiz.ch/) ## Citation The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as: > Atlas of Switzerland (2025): Christmas markets. ETH Zürich. Map data © Brunnvalla, AoS. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-markets/ ## Links The map opens at its full extent; a link cannot set the map position. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/christmas-markets/ - Short link, stays valid when the title changes: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/t/723/ - Side by side with another map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/comparison/?lt=723&rt={id of the other map}&ru={u of the other map, or leave out} Embed in another website (allowed by the terms of use, as long as the source references stay visible): ```html ``` In the embed URL, `dm` sets what is shown: `e` the map with its title bar (default), `p` also the values of an object clicked on the map, `m` only the map with a button that opens it in the atlas. `ig=1` (default) lets the map react to scrolling and dragging only after a click into it, `ig=0` right away. The size can be changed in `style`. For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).