At the start of Dresden's Christmas markets on Wednesday (November 26), the city considers its security measures to be significantly improved. Following the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market last year, Dresden has extended access protection to all municipal concession markets for the first time, said the head of the Office for Economic Development, Steffen Rietzschel. Previously, only the Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt and the Neumarkt were fully secured.
At the heart of the concept are around 300 heavy cast iron barriers, which, according to Rietzschel, can even withstand a 7.5-ton truck at high speed. They are supplemented by manually operated barriers that can be used by emergency services in an emergency. According to the city, it has invested a total of around 1.7 million euros in additional protective technology this year alone - up from around 1.3 million euros since the attack on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.
