HYDERABAD: While Osnabrück’s old town with its 15th century houses is awe-inspiring and the historical Christmas market with its cosy atmosphere breathtaking, it’s the German coffee that one mustn’t miss
While on a Christmas market trail in Germany, after Bremen, I travelled to Osnabrück, a quaint city in Lower Saxony, enveloped in medieval past.
The city’s historical Christmas market with its cosy atmosphere, set against the celebrated backdrop of the historic town hall is truly inspiring and regarded as one of the most beautiful Christmas Markets in Northern Germany. A six-metre nutcracker and the world’s largest Christmas music box cast a magical spell while stalls of wooden toys, pastries, hot mugs of mulled wine and Osnabrück’s speciality sausage - the “Käsegriller” were too tempting.
1,200 years of eventful history
My guided tour with Ute Buhning around Osnabrück’s old town turned out to be very stimulating as she narrated interesting stories as we walked along the15th century houses on a bright sunny morning in December.
Founded by Charlemagne, king of the Franks in 780 AD, the city’s name is presumably a combination of the Low German words “ossen”(ox) and “Brügge” (bridge). The Heger Tor (Waterloo Tor), an entrance to the old town that looks like a triumphal arch honours soldiers that died in the battle of Waterloo. Standing on top of the gate allows a lovely view on Osnabrück’s medieval old town. Most of the towers that were part of the medieval fortifications are still visible in the city.
Town Hall of The Peace of Westphalia
One of Germany’s oldest (1244) town halls, it was heavily damaged during World War II and rebuilt as a symbol of peace. Osnabrück played an important role in the Thirty Years’ War - one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history. The Peace of Westphalia was negotiated here, ending the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648).
Inside the hall, 42 portraits show the envoys of the peace congress as well as the rulers of that time. The funny part is, they all look alike. Ute said, often school kids on tour, wonder if they are all from the same family. The truth is, the ambassadors could not stay back to give time for the portraits and the artist had to work based on the description of their hosts. As we sat in the imposing Town Hall, surrounded by these portraits, my eyes caught the exquisitely carved wooden safes/ lockers embedded in the wall, which formerly belonged to hospitals and the ‘Friede’ (peace) dove door handle’ that depicts a six-forked wheel from the town’s coat of arms. We climbed to the top to see the model of the town in 1633 and had a good view of the city and the surrounding nature reserve from the tower of St. Mary’s church.
The Market Square & Old Town
Magnificent townhouses and other prestigious buildings bear witness to the power and wealth of the medieval merchants who thrived on the white gold, namely salt: today these ancient alleys offer shopping and small cafés, galleries and artisan shops.
On warm days, sitting in front of the red and yellow gabled houses, one can enjoy coffee with a view of the Town Hall and the Church of Mary. From the marketplace it is just a few steps to the impressive 13th-century St. Peter’s Cathedral, with its different sized towers, its peaceful cloister and walk-in vault in the Diocesan Museum. “The Markt” remains the heart of the city and hosts weddings, festivals, wine stands and Christmas markets.
We stopped to see some half - timbered houses in old town and later examined the Renaissance Haus Willmann (1586) with its carved circular motifs. The small relief of Adam and Eve proclaims to the world that the house was constructed with the dowry brought by the lady of the house! The family still lives there. The city is noted for its vault houses (Steinwerke), though half-timbered houses actually were the norm in medieval times. Osnabrück started to build its houses with brick 800 years ago, which gave the city its extraordinary silhouette. Around 35 of these remnants of medieval and early modern age can be seen today.
Germans prefer coffee and make one of the best coffees. We stopped at the roastery of “Barosta”, to taste their lovely brew. That was followed by a visit to “Leysieffer”, the town’s favourite chocolate shop. My visit to “L’artiste” was most thrilling - a shop with ‘things no one needs but everyone wants’. The shop is filled with the beautiful objects and a most impressive year-round Christmas display.
We rounded off our walk with a memorable lunch at “Kartoffelhaus Dominikaner”, where my Rosé was teamed with ginger spiced apple soup (vegan). But the “Fish gratin Indochine” put my subtle gastronomical sensibilities to test as the dish came with fish baked with fruits and cheese in coconut milk, a strange combination where east meets west.
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; blogs at www.vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)