St. Nicholas shopping in Bernau: give away boots and find treasures!

St. Nicholas shopping in Bernau: give away boots and find treasures!

In November, Bernau's city center is transformed into a winter wonderland with the popular St. Nicholas shopping event. From November 11th to 14th, all little bargain hunters are invited to hand in their cleaned boots. This friendly gesture that connects generations allows children up to 10 years old to drop off their boots at the “Santa Claus Offices” to then be filled with gifts.

The boot drop-off points are well placed and easily accessible. Children and parents can drop off their boots at the Tourist Information Office at Mayorstrasse 4 (Tues-Thurs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fri from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and at the city library at Breitscheidstrasse 43b (Tues and Thurs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). However, the number of boot spaces is limited to 1000, which is why you need to act quickly. It is important that only genuine children's boots are given away - handmade boots are excluded.

A special experience for the children

But Santa Claus shopping has even more surprises in store: the little ones also have the opportunity to hand in a letter to Santa Claus in the courtyard of the tourist information center. These letters will be sent to Himmelpfort on December 13th, postage paid, but a return address must be included on the envelope so that the children can receive a reply. On December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, parents and children can look for and pick up the hidden boots in the shop windows in the city center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The filled boots contain toys, books, pens and sweets - a real joy for the little ones! Sponsorships for individual boots can be taken over for a symbolic amount of 10 euros. With this special gesture, godparents can also leave personal greetings on a Christmas pendant, which makes the whole thing even more individual. Anyone interested can contact the city management directly on (03338) 376592 or by email at citymanagement@best-bernau.de. Further information is available on the Bernau city center website.

Community and support

St. Nicholas shopping is organized by the city management to promote the attractiveness of the city center. This campaign also benefits from funding from the federal-state “Living Centers” program, which requires the support of everyone involved. The local traders who fill the boots make an important contribution to making St. Nicholas shopping a unique experience.

In addition to these traditional customs surrounding St. Nicholas Day, digital accessibility is also an important issue in modern society. The Bernau LIVE website is committed to improving user-friendliness and is based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This is to ensure that people with disabilities also have access to the information and events.

St. Nicholas Day, which is deeply rooted in customs, is not only celebrated in Bernau. In many families, daycare centers and schools, Santa Claus visits in person and not only brings gifts, but also a message of sharing and community. With his bishop's robe and the bishop's staff, he appears as a symbol of goodness and charity - a beautiful model for the small celebrations and customs that come to life again this year during Advent.