High Honors

Wels Can Officially Call Itself the Capital for 42 Days

Nachrichten
19.10.2026 15:50

The success story of the Wels Christmas World began 18 years ago. The highlight so far is its selection as Europe’s Christmas Capital for 2026. Accordingly, Christkindl GmbH and the city’s marketing department have adapted the concept to offer visitors even more attractions starting November 13. 

Wels became the first city in the entire German-speaking world to receive the “European City of Christmas 2026” designation in an EU-supported vote. Loosely translated, this means: Wels is Europe’s Christmas Capital—and for 42 days, no less. That’s because the Wels Christmas World is starting earlier than ever this year. It kicks off on Friday, November 13.

Carefully Refined
“The award is both recognition and a mandate to continue developing the Wels Christmas World with sensitivity,” says Peter Jungreithmair, head of city marketing, as he announces a series of new features: The Mountain Christmas on Stadtplatz will extend all the way to the City Hall fountain. A new, glittering ice-skating rink will be set up in front of the eight-meter-tall illuminated Christ Child statue on Stadtplatz. For the first time, Minoritenplatz will also be included with a crafts market. The Path of Lights also entices visitors with new attractions. In total, Welser Christkindl GmbH invested 500,000 euros in expanding the infrastructure.

Zitat Icon

An increase in visitor numbers is expected this year. As a result, the entire Stadtplatz, all the way to City Hall, will be open to pedestrians for the first time. 

Peter Jungreithmair, Stadtmarketing

FP Mayor Andreas Rabl anticipates an increase in visitor numbers, which have ranged from 800,000 in recent years to one million last year. Accordingly, traffic planning also plays an important role.

High Traffic Volume
Wels expects the biggest crowds during Agraria, which takes place from November 25 to 28. “To accommodate this, visitor parking lots have been set up in the north near Flugplatzstraße and in the west near the stadium, with a shuttle service. An improved wayfinding system is designed to help guests find their way and guide them from the train station and through downtown to the Wels Christmas World,” explains Jungreithmair.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

Loading...
00:00 / 00:00
Abspielen
Schließen
Aufklappen
kein Artikelbild
Loading...
Vorige 10 Sekunden
Zum Vorigen Wechseln
Abspielen
Zum Nächsten Wechseln
Nächste 10 Sekunden
00:00
00:00
1.0x Geschwindigkeit
Loading
Kommentare Banner - Die Stimme Österreichs

Willkommen in unserer Community! Eingehende Beiträge werden geprüft und anschließend veröffentlicht. Bitte achten Sie auf Einhaltung unserer Netiquette und AGB. Für ausführliche Diskussionen steht Ihnen ebenso das krone.at-Forum zur Verfügung. Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.

Hinweis in eigener Sache: Das krone.at-Forum präsentiert sich ab sofort in neuem Design! Wir freuen uns über konstruktives Feedback. Damit die Diskussionen in den Kommentarbereichen beim jeweiligen Thema bleiben, können Sie uns Rückmeldungen hier hinterlassen.

Kostenlose Spiele
Vorteilswelt

Magazine der Kronen Zeitung