Dresden may not be the first city that springs to mind when you start compiling a top five Christmas markets list, but the first record of its market dates back to 1434, making it the oldest in Germany's record books. The city has a special charm in winter, when its legendary Striezelmarkt kicks off and the city's rooftops iced in snow add a magical, festive feel to the celebrations. The best place to stay and enjoy the city's Baroque splendour is at the Hapimag residence in Dresden run by the leading Swiss timeshare specialists.

 You can't visit Dresden in December without sampling Striezel - or "Stollen", the traditional holiday season fruitcake baked in the form of a loaf and dusted with icing sugar (and now sold in British and American supermarkets at Christmas). Dresden's residents take their Stollen very seriously and celebrate with a Stollen Festival, held on the second Sunday in December. In the 16th century, the Stollen bakers would present their handmade cakes to the local prince, who would cut them into slices with a five-foot knife and distribute them to the poor. The tradition has changed somewhat today - this year, as in the past, a 3,000 kilogram cake will be paraded around Dresden accompanied by the town's own "Miss Stollenmadchen", the Stollen beauty queen.

Stollen Festival

Enjoying Dresdener stollen

The market is pretty and old fashioned, with around 250 stalls where you can browse traditional German Christmas wares, including colourful hand-blown glass baubles from the town of Lauscha and hand-fired blue and white ceramics from Saxony.

Dresden market by night

Excerpt from  http://www.tangerinetravel.com/blog/?p=3693