Bochum authorities placed a string of 1.2 ton pellet bags in the downtown area to avert potential terror attacks ahead of the seasonal opening of the local Christmas market.
On Thursday morning, however, the bags took on a holiday look, with the city's official marketing service turning them into novelty Christmas presents.
"For us it was very important to fit in those ugly barriers into the beautiful overall atmosphere," said the head of Bochum Marketing Mario Schiefelbein.
Read more: Nuremberg Christmas market beefs up security for opening
The move surprised both local residents and the police, as the service reportedly giftwrapped up all of the 20 bags overnight without forewarning.
Whatever your preference might be - traditional or quirky, big or small - Christmas markets and events in Germany cater to all tastes, from traditionally festive to eccentric. Here are our favorites.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. SchmidtNuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is a must for anyone coming to Germany for the Christmas markets. Dating back to at least 1628, it embodies everything we have come to associate with German Christmas markets. Its unique selling point is the Christmas angel, played by a young Nuremberg woman, who makes a speech to ceremonially open the market every year.
The Striezelmarkt looks back on a tradition centuries old. It was first held in 1434 as a one-day market ahead of the holidays. The word Striezelmarkt comes from Strüzel, - a type of light, airy fruitcake sold at the market, now famous as Stollen or Christstollen.
It may be small, but the Wenzelsmarkt in Bautzen is rather special. It was founded 1384, when King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia decreed a pre-Christmas meat market.
The Christmas market next to Cologne Cathedral is one of the biggest in Germany. It attracts some 4 million visitors every year. Round about the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland, more than 160 festively designed wooden pavilions offer an vast selection of sweets and local delicacies as well as mulled wine in decorative Christmas mugs.
At this time of the year, the Hamburg district of Sankt Pauli shows both its traditional and its playful sides. All around the notorious Reeperbahn entertainment district, is Hamburg's adults-only Christmas market. At the "Santa Pauli" Christmas market you can enjoy delicious mulled wine and buy jewelry, souvenirs and other typical St. Pauli gifts - such as dildos, sex-toys and more.
The market in this Hanseatic city is probably the best known in northern Germany. It was first mentioned in 1648. Marzipan lovers can have a field day at the Lübeck Christmas market. Opposite the town hall (pictured) is the Cafe Niederegger - the famous producer of marzipan, which some say was invented in Lübeck.
Mulled wine, organic sausages and, of course, lots of culture - that's what Munich's Tollwood Winter Festival on the Theresienwiese has to offer. The four week event is billed as a forum for ecology and environmental awareness. The products and toys bought here are all fair-trade certified.
This Christmas Market has a truly remarkable and romantic setting surrounded by the crystal clear Lake Chiemsee at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. The market on the Island of Frauenchiemsee commands a view of Herrenchiemsee Island, and its famous Herrenchiemsee Castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria - the swan king who also initiated construction of Neuschwanstein Castle.
The Christmas market in the shadow of Aachen cathedral is comparatively young, only dating back to the 1970s. As Aachen lies near the Belgian and Dutch borders, the market has an international feel with many visitors from the Benelux. An absolute must to try and buy at this market are the local Printen pastries similar to gingerbread.
This award-winning Christmas market in the Ore Mountains is rather special. It boasts an enormous Christmas tree as well as a Christmas pyramid, with story figures of Christmas, the town and the local mining industry. From over 80 lovingly decorated booths you can buy genuine traditional Ore Mountain woodworking, incense cones and Annaberg folded stars.
Fortifying Christmas
Other cities across Germany are also boosting their security ahead of the events, fearing a repeat of last year's on a Christmas market in Berlin, when a Tunisian man killed 12 people by driving a stolen truck into the crowd.
Bochum is not the only city to put a bow on new security measures. In the Bavarian city of Augsburg, for example, authorities will use decorated trucks belonging to Christmas market stall owners as car barriers. Munich officials plan to block the streets with planters containing season-appropriate evergreen plants.
Read more: Berlin plans memorial to Christmas market terror attack victims
Officials also announced that more police officers, both in uniform and in civilian clothing, will be securing the open air markets.
dj/kms (AFP, dpa)
