Leipzig/Chemnitz (dpa/sn) - New food, a chic collar or jewelry with the imprint of the nose of the beloved four-legged friend: Dog owners and their four-legged friends will get their money's worth in Leipzig on Sunday. "We look forward to an inquisitive audience and are curious how our Christmas market will be received," said the organizer of the city's first dog Christmas market, Monika Eckstein-Scheffler, before the start. On the Cottaweg in the west of Leipzig, two- and four-legged friends should be able to stroll comfortably along the stalls of a total of 25 traders. "But there is no mulled wine - although - that would be an idea: mulled wine for the dog!", she said with a smile.
Eckstein-Scheffler from Chemnitz brought the idea of a Christmas market, where everything revolves around dogs on December 4th and therefore care is taken to ensure that nobody steps on the paws of the four-legged friends while strolling, to Leipzig. "I rent mobile homes that are equipped for holidays with dogs. I was totally impressed by the Chemnitz dog Christmas market, where I was a dealer myself," she recalled. The Leipzig market was originally supposed to take place in 2019. "But then Corona came along. We are all the more looking forward to finally being able to open."
Desiree Held from Chemnitz, who founded the dog Christmas market there together with her husband Mathias, is also looking forward to the opening after a total of three years. "Our crazy idea exploded a bit back then, in 2017. We've been organizing the market ever since," she says. So far, the markets in Leipzig and Chemnitz are the only ones in East Germany. In Hamburg, Hesse and also in Bavaria as well as in Austria and Switzerland it is different. "Especially in Hamburg there are some markets where I've been as a dealer," said Held.
In their offer: dog clothing and accessories from their own production. On the market at Klaffenbach moated castle, 90 percent of the 43 traders are small businesses. Linen, beds, among other things, could be bought, but alternative practitioners, physiotherapists and nutritionists also presented themselves on December 10th. "When making our selection, we value a healthy mix for two- and four-legged friends," says Held. So there is also mulled wine - for people. And the five euros required for adult entry went partly to a good cause.
