The market opens each day this weekend at 11am. The nice weather on Friday and Saturday brought many visitors to the market, much to the delight of the stall holders. At times, the Münsterplatz was even so full that it was difficult to get through.

One of the biggest stalls belongs to Gabriele and Franco-Tillmann Dingels. They make wicker baskets and require a lot of space for the weaving process. Gabriele Dingels comes from Bonn but now lives in the Vosges, where she and her husband own a forest cottage with its own weaving workshop. “I have always been attracted to this profession and enjoy working with the vibrant wicker material, from the cutting right up to the treatment, says Gabriele Dingels. “It is a traditional craft but still very creative. I can try out a great many things”. Gabriele and Franco-Tillmann Dingels have been part of the handicraft market from the beginning which was now 35 years ago. They have a large range of products on their stall including bassinets, wash baskets, table baskets and bigger shopping baskets. Gabriele Dingels can make a shopping basket in around two hours. “Basket weaving is never boring though,” she says.

When visitors go past the stall belonging to Gisela Sohns, they cannot help but smile at the humourous clay figures on the table, with original characters and colourful costumes which grab their attention. “I worked with clay as a young woman but I also did a lot of other artistic things. At some point, I made a figurine out of a mound of clay and enjoyed it so much that I kept making them”, she says. The ideas for the funny clay figures come to her while she is making them, she explains. I personally find the seated women with their wide feet very original”, says Sohns and points to her favourite piece in the collection.

Helmut Meyer’s art works also attract attention: the solid wood furniture radiates the calmness and strength of the forest from where it originates – the pieces have retained their natural shapes. Knotholes, pieces of bark and striking wood grains give the furniture their special features. “Nature is the greatest artist”, says the woodworker. He has been making this furniture for 20 years, focusing on the uniqueness and vibrancy of the wood. Many different types and shapes of wood are stored at his forest cottage in Mosbruch in the Eifel, he often goes into the forest alone and collects wood and roots. “The more crooked and rustic, the better,” Meyer says. And: “if you want to keep the natural beauty of the wood, you cannot cut it with a circular saw,” he reveals.

The handicraft market comes to the Münsterplatz in Bonn once a year with its artists and craftsmen from all over Germany and abroad. Rustic and modern, delicate and abstract art all come together. The first market took place in 1992. Since then, many artisans have been taking part every year, bringing their workshops to the Münsterplatz for the weekend. The handicraft market is open this Monday from 11am to 6pm.

(Original text: Lea Daume, Translation: Caroline Payne)