The Dresdner Stollenmädchen
The love to bake, the want to protect the tradition and the desire to live the craft with passion and spirit: These are the three qualities that distinguish the Dresdner Stollenmädchen. For the duration of one year this young woman represents Dresden's stollen bakers and their product - the Dresdner Christstollen. As the patron of the Dresdner Stollenfest she gives the start signal for the baking process of the giant stollen and opens the big festival on the Saturday before the second of advent.
Whoever wants to become Stollenmädchen, especially needs to have experience with stollen baking, knowledge of the history of Dresdner Christstollen and passion for the craft. Many trainee bakers, trainee pastry chefs or bakery shop assistants sign up to become the Stollenmädchen. All of the girls are studying at the Dresden Vocational School Centre for Agriculture and Nutrition (Beruflichen Schulzentrum für Agrarwirtschaft und Ernährung Dresden) and are taught through an apprenticeship in one of the member bakeries of the Stollen Association.
Before one of the girls is allowed to put on the beautiful dress of the Stollen Association representative and go out in public, the young women have to show her knowledge about the craft. After a knowledge test a panel made up of Dresden's bakers and pastry makers decides who the next Stollenmädchen should be. This is where an exiting time for one of the young women starts: For one year she is on the road on behalf of the Stollen Association in the eye of the public. Thousands of pictures are taken of her and she answers just as many questions while representing the Dresdner Christstollen on Radio and TV.
The entire stollen season long the Dresdner Stollenmädchen is on the road visiting Christmas markets and attending events in and around Dresden and even farther away. Click here to find out when and where.
