Since July 2022, a citizen jury representative of the Strasbourg population has been working on areas of transformation and improvement of the Christmas market in the Alsatian capital. Of its 32 proposals, 30 were selected by the city this Saturday, March 4, 2023. They relate both to the extent of the market in the city, to traffic, entertainment, chalet architecture and of course the content of what is sold, in a more united and ecological spirit.
With more than 450 years on the clock, the Strasbourg Christmas market was starting, according to some, to get tired or even run out of steam. And this, despite the two and a half million visitors boldly displayed.
In other words, it was time to grease the wheels a little or even make some adjustments. And if possible, less awkwardly than last year when the municipality published the list of foods authorized for sale, crossing out the champagne before reconsidering this decision. But failing to stem the controversy.
“I think there was a lot of criticism in recent years that came from local peoplemade a point of specifying Jeanne Barseghian, the EELV mayor of the city. People felt deprived of this event which is held in our city. This citizen jury is a strong signal of reappropriation of the Christmas market by the people of Strasbourg, which is not incompatible with having many visitors but we need the population to feel better there.
This is how the city of Strasbourg set up a citizens’ jury, made up of representative inhabitants of the city, to think about and make proposals on a new Christmas market that is more ecological and more supportive. And more spread out in the city. “I was selected to be part of the jury, this Strasbourg woman tells us. And I responded positively to the city’s initiative because I am one of the inhabitants who no longer go to the Christmas market because there are too many people. It was no longer traditional or a pleasure for me to go there. What needs to be improved is finding a good balance between tourists, locals and police, finding a certain fluidity.”
Of the 32 proposals from the citizen jury, formed last July, 30 were selected this Saturday, March 4, 2023 by the elected officials of the city of Strasbourg after eight months of meetings, consultations and writing of recommendations. Suffice to say that this is a lot, so non-exhaustive account of these proposals.
The first line of work of the jury concerned the spatialization of the Christmas market for better fluidity. And rightly so, the aisles can sometimes be so crowded that you have to admire the same multicolored garland for long minutes before you can move forward. Hence the idea of increasing the number of markets in the city’s districts, setting up spaces for conviviality, by involving the associations and traders concerned.
And to encourage the discovery of these new spaces, the citizen jury proposes to set up events in these neighborhoods by mobilizing schools, extracurricular activities and socio-cultural centers. Events that can be strolls, readings of tales as well as participatory workshops in which one could, for example, make lanterns.
To find the essence of the Christmas market, the jury made an astonishing proposal, to create a place dedicated to the history of Christmas, whether in the form of a permanent space in an existing structure or simply in the form of a dedicated museum.
Obviously, in the main lines of work, there were the products offered for sale in the chalets. No specific list this time, but the jury is keen to give pride of place to local craftsmen by setting up, why not, a quota of exhibitors from the Far East. With of course a maximum of artisanal, local products, in connection with Christmas and of which a certain number will have to be at low cost.
The establishment of specifications could ensure compliance with this instruction and why by also that of logos, QR code, recognizable to consumers and guaranteeing the origin of the products offered.
And for this Christmas in Strasbourg to be more united, the idea would be to create a space dedicated to donations and exchanges of objects related to Christmas, on the model of book boxes.
The citizen jury also decided to focus part of its reflection on the architecture of the chalets. Purists can be reassured, there is no question of ignoring the good old wooden chalets but of considering the installation of new huts with more original architecture and/or decoration.
Finally, the ecological question was at the center of the reflections carried out by this citizen jury. Starting with the question of electricity consumption. The jury recommends setting up individual meters so that everyone pays for what they consume and encourages exhibitors to reduce the use of energy-consuming appliances, among other things.
The waste policy must be exemplary with the implementation of sorting, reuse of certain waste, instructions. In short, there is plenty to do between now and the end of November.
