Collecting Christmas Commerce: Material Culture Related to German Christmas Markets Held in German Museum Collections
Collecting Christmas Commerce: Material Culture Related to German Christmas Markets Held in German Museum Collections

Summary/Abstract: German Christmas markets form an integral component of the seasonal calendar. Given the significant role Christmas Markets play in German society, we ask the question whether and to what extent objects from these markets have been and/or are being collected by German cultural institutions. In doing so, the authors surveyed museums in all German communities that held Christmas markets before the intensified proliferation period of the late 1970s. Only 15.7% of responding museums specifically collected material culture related to Christmas markets. In the majority of cases, such collections occurred opportunistically and non-systematically, resulting in collection gaps. The majority of collected material culture was flatware (photographs etc). Three dimensional objects (cups, models etc.) were generally underrepresented, with cups, models and other market-specific unique items being collected. The proportion between documented and collected items was very low for the majority of German museums.

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