As you know, there have been more normal times. This thesis, which is not too steep, can be substantiated by the raw material shortage that has been rampant for the past year and is driving entrepreneurs and private individuals to despair. First there was a lack of wood, later plastics and metals, chips and other electronic components. The result: longer to indefinable delivery times, higher prices, standstills in factories and on construction sites. Unfortunately, there is no improvement in sight for the time being. Material bottlenecks will “probably accompany the Free State for the whole year”, the Bavarian Crafts Day predicted last week.
Anyone who is currently acting as a builder despite such shortages tends to need better nerves than usual. Except perhaps in Bischofsgrün in the Bayreuth district. There they can relax and look at their currently most important resource: snow. On Monday, the municipality’s own webcams showed a place shrouded in inhospitable winter clouds, and the nearby Schneeberg also lives up to its name. And indeed, a lack of snow material would be fatal now of all times. Because the Bischofsgrüner need the white element in large quantities in order to build a giant snowman called “Jakob”. This should – after a Corona-related break last year – finally be enthroned again until Shrove Monday in the center of town, as has been the case since 1985, to herald the high point of the carnival season. Dressed in a top hat, green buttons and bow tie, “Jakob” greets you across the market square. Its size varies from season to season depending on the material available, the record is 12.65 meters. Nice side effect: the dismantling of the frosty giant takes care of itself more or less in the course of the spring.
Nevertheless, it will of course not be like it used to be in the Fichtelgebirge this time. The snowman festival on Shrove Monday, where locals and guests celebrate in the shadow of the Bischofsgrün colossus, falls through due to Corona. At the local tourist information, the DPA was nevertheless confident that the construction project would be a “small sign of hope” in these times. The return of the abnormally large snowman always offers a bit of normality.