#gegenbach

[comtedemoney]

From NPR Weekend Edition

The 'magical' advent calendar that's as big as a town hall

A small town in Germany turns its town hall into the "world's largest" advent calendar each December. It started as a way to boost businesse

From the article:

Each December, the hamlet of Gengenbach turns its town hall into one giant advent calendar. Every evening, they raise the shade of another window to reveal a new picture behind it, just as the owner of an advent calendar unfolds a flap to procure a candy — or these days, a lipstick or a spice sachet.

[willkommen-in-germany]

Gengenbach is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Southwestern Germany and a popular tourist destination on the western edge of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) with about 11,000 inhabitants. It lies near the French border and it’s known for its traditional Alemanic “Fasnacht” carnival celebration. It also has a traditional, medieval Altstadt (old town) and features “the world’s biggest advent calendar” - the 24 windows of the 18th century town hall represent the 24 days of Advent. The nearest larger cities are Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden, and Strasbourg/France. Gengenbach is twinned with the town of Obernai in Alsace, France.