On Sunday evening, the time had come: without much fanfare and without the usual crowds, the Christmas tree on Frankfurt's Römerberg was "flicked on" for the first time yesterday. In addition to Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann, the honor of flipping the switch was also due to the Christmas tree child Caroline. The eight-year-old girl from Kalbach-Riedberg had won the with a particularly beautiful self-painted picture of Christmas tree "Bertl".
The spruce may now also finally show its beautiful side. Because ever since "Bertl" arrived in Frankfurt from Austria quite ruffled and battered, the tree has had to take a lot of criticism and scolding. But thanks to a few cosmetic interventions and 450 bows, the Christmas tree once again looks really beautiful. 550 LED bulbs, spread across 1.6 kilometres of fairy lights, shone in full glory for the first time on Sunday after Feldmann and Caroline pressed the start button.
"Today we are beating the virus," said Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann. "We want everyone to see: We're paying attention, we're sticking to the rules - but we're not letting them spoil our Christmas spirit." He added that the tree bathed the Römerberg in an almost magical, festive light, and was a sign of social solidarity: "We practice renunciation to protect those we love. In doing so, we show that we have understood the Christmas message."
Bertl is a symbol of solidarity, also stressed Thomas Feda, Managing Director of Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main: "Especially in challenging times, we are happy about the solidarity with the Austrian tourism region Schladming-Dachstein and the Christmas tree donation - our Bertl - Tree of Hearts."
Yes, it's nice to have the Christmas tree lit up. However, so completely without Christmas booth magic, the whole thing also looks quite a bit sad. Nevertheless: We are happy that "Bertl" is there and will now shine beautifully for the next weeks.
