Mulled wine, gingerbread and the famous turbo cider, available nowhere else but in the Moravian capital. The International European Commission rated Brno the European Capital of Christmas, calling it a “creative Christmas jewel”. The competition’s international jury, which has been running since 2017, has recognized more than 100,000 people in the city who promote Christian values in the category. . Hana Banovska, spokeswoman for the Brno Tourist Information Center (DIC), drew attention to the success.
Brno’s Christmas markets are held every year in Freedom Square, Zelne Dru or Dominicanska Namistie. “Brno represents a creative Christmas gem, through which the city itself expresses its touristic and Christmas appeal with significant social and microeconomic impacts on the city system,” the jury says in its assessment of this year’s winner.
“Undoubtedly, the most representative values are a strong commitment to one’s own heritage as a symbol of unity and universal identity, which is one of the aspects that UNESCO also highlights, so the city of Brno is represented as its ultimate expression. Creative culture and a strong identity, and its Christmas lights and markets for a very atmospheric Christmas place. markets,” the report said.
Irish Waterford won the second title of European Christmas City, with the city of Almanza (Lyon) getting a special mention. According to Alberto Gutiérrez Alberga, President of the Christmas Cities Network, Christmas time in Europe is a period of special significance, at the heart of which are deep values of integration, tolerance, coexistence and peace.
“In the assessment, Brno highlights a strong emphasis on cultural heritage, creativity and strong identity, which together create the most beautiful Christmas atmosphere,” TIC Brno said on its Facebook profile.
“A surprising (or not really), however, an international jury sent a small advance prize to South Moravia, which was selected from the number of entries. However, in a category of more than 100,000 citizens, the decision was unanimous,” she informed Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS) would like to express a big thank you to the organizers and visitors of Brno Christmas. “Because they provide them with a perfect and unique atmosphere.”
According to the organizers of the TIC Brno and the town hall of the Brno-střed district, in recent years the Brno Christmas has become popular not only among the people of Brno and the surrounding area, but also among people from other parts of the Czech Republic. Abroad. Before this year’s opening, Jana Janulikova, director of TIC Brno, said Christmas markets are an event that has become one of the main events of inbound tourism. According to the competition’s website, it is not clear how much Brno won in the competition, and TIC is trying to get this information, Bánovská said.
In the assessment, the jury called Brno a “creative Christmas jewel” that attracts tourists and has significant social and economic impacts on the city. “The main themes we emphasized in the application and were highly appreciated were locality and unity. We have a long-standing cooperation with local vendors, artists, musicians, designers, manufacturers, but we also include Brno companies and institutions. This cooperation creates a real atmosphere that cannot be repeated at Christmas in Brno,” said Janulikova said, Brno’s strong stake is also its charitable aspect. This year’s innovation is the newly organized markets in Moravské náměstí, where the organizers have also placed an oval ice rink.
It’s an irony that last year’s Prague Christmas Markets ranked 5th in the “World’s Best Christmas Markets” ranking. CNN Television Station. Prague’s Christmas markets on Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square rank behind European capitals such as Vienna, Basel, Strasbourg and Brussels. The Czech capital is followed by Barcelona, Florence or Zagreb. “Prague is the definition of a winter wonderland during the Christmas holidays,” reports CNN.
