Today, on St. Nicholas Day, a festive Christmas fair in the best German traditions took place in the courtyard of the Odessa Kirkha.
The main event of the holiday was the presentation of the largest Christmas stollen in Ukraine - this is a traditional German Christmas cake with raisins, dried apricots and candied fruit.
The huge sweetness entered the National Book of Records of Ukraine in the category "Confectionery. Размеры", whose weight is 92 kg, length - 121,5 cm, width - 72 cm.
50 kg of flour, 20 kg of nuts, 30 kg of dried fruits, 6 liters of rum, 15 kg of butter and 15 kg of cheese were used to make the stolen.
As noted by Elina Lyakh, head of the "German Youth in the Odessa Region" OO and author of the "The Biggest Stollen in Ukraine" project, the festive cupcake will be enough for 2 people who want to enjoy it.
"We had very little time for preparation, because initially the project was prepared for the next hour. At the city project competition, I heard from the commission that it was "the warmest project and it has a soul" and they asked him to do it this year. At the time of the start, it was very difficult: we had no partners at all, including finances, but we managed," said Elina Lyakh.
One of the main partners who immediately believed in the project and supported it is the "Container Terminal Odesa" company. An enterprise with German roots, whose management considered it their duty to support such a family project.
"As soon as we learned about this project, we immediately decided to participate. After all, we are the "KTO" company, which belongs to the largest European logistics concern HHLA in the Port of Hamburg. We have been on the Ukrainian market since 2001 and are the largest German investor in the transport sector. For 20 years of existence, we support all the most important cultural and social projects of the city. As a German company, we are interested in supporting German culture and the German spirit, because culture is the best language of diplomacy," said Svetlana Yarovaya, vice president of the company and ambassador of the city of Hamburg in Ukraine.
Elina Lyakh 
Svetlana Yarovaya 
According to the ancient German tradition, stollen should be baked 3-4 weeks before the holiday. This was done by 3 girls, among them the owner of a craft cafe in Arcadia, Viktoria Vlaskina. German cupcakes were also baked in her establishment. She said that among the traditional ingredients are eggs, flour, sugar, cottage cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest, various dried fruits, walnuts and almonds, which have been pre-soaked in rum.
"One of the most difficult processes is assembly. The stollen itself consists of 70 parts. Yesterday it was necessary to lay them out correctly. Then it was all fastened with marzipan and butter, and covered with powdered sugar. Therefore, it was necessary to remember both mathematics and physics in order for the stollen to retain its shape. It was also very difficult to endure three weeks without being touched," Victoria says with a smile.
Treats at the festive fair were given out for a minimal charitable contribution - UAH 20. The collected funds will be used for the implementation of the second project - a memorial plaque in honor of the first gardener of the city - Hans Hermann, thanks to whose efforts the avenues, boulevards and streets of our city were greened.
Traditional Christmas treats are also presented at the fair: mulled wine, stollen, gingerbread, grilled sausages, craft cheeses, pretzels, various pastries, etc. Here you can purchase a variety of Christmas decorations (wreaths, Christmas tree toys), handmade items, dolls , products in the style of decoupage, and many other pleasant little things.
This year, the residents of Odessa will also have an extensive cultural program - concerts of organ music, classical music, folk music, opera and choral singing.
The fair will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. until December 27 inclusive.
