"Even as a little boy," recalls Marcel Schmitz, "I always smuggled myself to the front". He didn't just want to wash glasses, he wanted to be where the action was. In the middle of the hustle and bustle. He wanted to be up front at the counter of the mulled wine stall that his parents run at the Aachen Christmas market. The "Oecher Glühwein-Treff" has been around for more than 40 years now. The wine (red, white and non-alcoholic) is still supplied by the same winemaker as in 1976, and this Advent the large, atmospherically illuminated stand is once again located directly at the Katschhof between the historic town hall and Aachen Cathedral. Behind the counter: Marcel Schmitz, now 39 years old and himself the father of two children.
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Zelte auf dem Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Marcel Schmitz am Glühweinstand, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Glühweingläser am Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Marcel Schmitz am Glühweinstand, Aachen
Construction begins at the beginning of November. And by the time the stand is dismantled and loaded back into its individual parts the night before Christmas Eve, Marcel barely has time to take a deep breath. "I'm working 14 hours a day," says the boy from back then, who knows no other way. And the adult of today, who wouldn't have it any other way. Born in Aachen, he describes himself as both a perfectionist and an individualist.
His wife followed the "Ur-Oecher" from Munich to his home town. Here we meet Marcel for the first time when the temperatures are not yet suitable for mulled wine. In fact, summer is just about to say goodbye. It is already a little chilly in the early morning. Nevertheless, people are sitting relaxed on the benches in the park at Frankenberg Castle, which Charlemagne is said to have fallen in love with thanks to a magic ring, and enjoying the warming rays of sunshine. The men from the rubbish collection service take a short break at the kiosk opposite. Neighbours come by and say hello. A school class stands excitedly at the zebra crossing and listens patiently to the police officer's words of warning. A perfectly normal morning in the Frankenberg neighbourhood.
They have known Marcel Schmitz here for eight years. Ever since he opened his Oecher Eis-Treff in 2011 in one of the many art nouveau villas in this lively, trendy neighbourhood. After a total of three years of planning and exactly twelve months after he first hung the sign saying "We'll be opening soon" in the window. "It's something of a running gag here in the neighbourhood," says the ice cream parlour owner, who can't help but smile every time. He just didn't want to leave anything to chance.
But first of all, there's another question: why ice cream? The man makes mulled wine. That's right! In winter, there's fragrant wine from a mug and in summer, grandma's nut ice cream from a cone. Two seasonal businesses that go perfectly together and are Marcel's two great passions.
The boss, who now has seven employees, can't explain exactly which passion came first as he gives us the first scoop of his homemade ice cream to try. As I said, even as a young boy he was surrounded by strangers and friends in his parents' mulled wine parlour, and he has never lost touch with them. "The customers grew with me," says the 39-year-old, recalling his grandmother's nut ice cream. "That's exactly how I wanted to do it. Ice cream made from real, good food and not just any powder." He says and serves us the next scoop in his small, lovingly decorated ice cream parlour. After the classics vanilla and strawberry, this time it's tomato ice cream with a little basil. "I also like to experiment and really try something different ..."
"That's exactly how I wanted to do it. Ice cream made from real, good food and not just any powder."
The Aachen native, who also studied business administration at some point before deciding to take a slightly different path in life, is not always interested in new and unusual flavours of ice cream. What matters to him first and foremost are the raw materials and "that people realise why my ice cream tastes different". Some customers do ask. Marcel's regular customers, however, have known about it for a long time and make sure they get their 50 francs right at the start of the season - a kind of discount coin that they can only use to pay at the Oecher Eistreff.
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Zutaten für Eisherstellung, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Behälter mit Speiseeis im Eistreff, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Zutaten für Eisherstellung, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Behälter mit Speiseeis im Eistreff, Aachen
But Marcel Schmitz doesn't just say that about raw materials. The enterprising young entrepreneur means it and is very serious about issues such as climate protection. Sustainability is important to him, which is why he makes no compromises when selecting his products. After all, not all milk is the same and not all sugar is the same. "And vanilla pods are similar to wine," he explains. "There are hundreds of varieties in the world and each one tastes different." The perfectionist tries (almost) all of them before deciding on the one vanilla pod that he will then use for his ice cream. And the family man, who cares about his children's future, makes sure that the raw materials come from organic farming (from the region) wherever possible.
"And vanilla pods are similar to wine. There are hundreds of varieties in the world and each one tastes different."
Just as the "Oecher Glühwein-Treff" was recognised as Germany's first climate-neutral mulled wine stand in 2018, the "Eisküche" in the Frankenberger Viertel also places great importance on the conscious use of food and the environment. This can be as simple as the colourful magnets on the fridge. Yellow stands for lemon, orange for hazelnut and red for strawberry. Whenever a can of ice cream is taken out of the fridge, a magnet is also removed. "This prevents the fridge from constantly being opened and closed," explains Marcel, who invented the system himself. "It saves electricity and protects the environment." He is also currently negotiating with a start-up company that could produce edible spoons for him. Another plan for the future.
For now, the Oecher Eistreff is temporarily closed. The season is over. And another one is just around the corner. This time at the Katschhof. Every day for four weeks, strangers and friends will be crowding round the Oecher Glühwein-Treff, swapping their EU Glühs for a glass or two of original Winzer-Glühwein and chatting with Marcel Schmitz about old and new times. As I said, there is hardly any time to take a deep breath. But even before the many lights come on and bathe Aachen's old town in a pre-Christmas atmosphere, Marcel sometimes comes here early on his own. He then sits down on a bench with a view of the town hall and enjoys "the time I don't usually have". It's exactly what he wanted.
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Häuser im Frankenberger Viertel, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Marcel Schmitz mit Eis auf Spielplatz, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Spielplatz im Frankenberger Viertel, Aachen Tourismus NRW e.V., Ralph Sondermann, Marcel Schmitz mit Kunden und Eis, Aachen
A place in the countryside to switch offThree questions for Marcel Schmitz
Mr Schmitz, you have 48 hours of free time. What would you definitely do with this time in NRW?
Marcel Schmitz: I'd grab my family and find somewhere to relax. I haven't had enough of that in the last eight years. I've hardly got out of Aachen ... But such a place could be somewhere deep in the Eifel, the Eifel National Park is at the top of my list of places to visit. I love nature.
Which place in NRW have you recently rediscovered for yourself?
Marcel Schmitz: That's not so easy to answer. I'm either in the ice cream parlour or at the mulled wine stand. (laughs!) No, it's not that bad ... I would like to rediscover the Siebengebirge. I was recently invited to a wedding there and was really impressed by the landscape. It's a great hiking region.
Your personal favourite place in NRW.
Marcel Schmitz: I don't have to think about that for long. In winter, I enjoy the best time of the day, before the Christmas market opens and the Katschhof is still empty. Then I sit down on a bench with a view of the town hall and enjoy the first rays of sunshine. It's an unrivalled atmosphere. It's similar in Frankenberg Park in summer. Before the ice cream parlour next door gets busy, I look for a nice spot here and enjoy the time I wouldn't otherwise have. It always grounds me a little.
