Christmas lights across Europe
Magnificently decorated squares and boulevards: When the holiday season begins, cities in Europe light up. The lights are to bring hope and optimism, which is more important than ever in these times of coronavirus.
London, Regent Street
The nationwide lockdown in Great Britain has ended. Stores and restaurants have been allowed to open again, life is returning to the streets. Just in time for Christmas shopping. This is even more fun under artistic fairy lights.
Vienna, Rathausplatz (Town Hall Square)
Austria's capital is also relaxing its coronavirus restrictions. This means that the curfew does not begin until 8 pm. Therefore the Viennese can use the evening hours for a stroll across the square in front of the city hall, past the Christmas tree and the arch of lights with the four Advent candles.
Prague, Old Town Square
The Christmas tree is the centerpiece on the Old Town Square in the Czech capital. Usually tourists from all over the world crowd the picturesque square, but this year it belongs to the local residents. Here and in the surrounding alleys of the Old Town, the people of Prague get in the festive mood for Christmas.
Paris, Galeries Lafayette
Très chic! One expects nothing else from the French. The Christmas decorations in the famous department store Galeries Lafayette are again a small sensation this year. Fortunately, the hard lockdown has ended in France as well, so people can again visit the temples of consumption, to shop and marvel at the decorations.
Krakow, Podgorski Square
In Poland, too, people can breathe a sigh of relief: coronavirus infections are declining, and the tough restrictions are being eased. So people in the southern Polish city of Krakow can also enjoy the magic of the Christmas season.
Brussels, Grand Place
It is large, it is magnificent and yet somehow also homey: The richly decorated facades of the town houses and the town hall on the Grand Place in the heart of the Belgian capital offer the perfect backdrop for the 18-meter-high Christmas fir tree. Incidentally, the central square has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
Moscow, St. Basil's Cathedral
In Russia it is not Santa Claus who brings presents, but Father Frost. And that only on December 31, New Year's Eve. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7. Despite those differences, the streets and squares in Moscow are just as festive.
Madrid, Plaza Mayor
The Spanish capital celebrates the Christmas season every year with a great Festival of Lights, illuminating the main streets, squares and monuments until January 6. And this year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, this includes the Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor.
Berlin, Brandenburg Gate
Christmas markets are not to be found in the German capital, as they have all been cancelled due to the coronavirus. But as every year, the festively decorated Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate is sparkling with the goddess of victory Victoria at the top of the quadriga behind it.