In the Allgäu there is the wonderful custom of praising the Christmas tree. People parade through the streets, mostly in groups, and praise the neighbors’ Christmas trees extensively, with a schnapps as a reward. In this respect, it is very practical that the market in Oberstdorf even has two Christmas trees this year, one in the spa park and one on the market square. From the outside, there is nothing to complain about on the two firs, although when praising the Christmas tree it is important to emphasize the less attractive specimens in noble words. In one point, however, there is simply nothing to gloss over for the tree on the market square, schnapps or schnapps: the fir tree cost the place 24,850 euros.
According to local media, Oberstdorf made a mockery of it, although some locals don’t find the matter funny at all: it’s not just about the astronomical price, it’s also about the circumstances. Oberstdorf commissioned a specialist company, which finally brought in a fir tree from the Hochsauerland region, which lies between Dortmund and Kassel. The market has its own communal forest. However, the administration considered it irresponsible for the local construction yard employees to cut down and transport a tree – for safety reasons. Now in Oberstdorf they not only have a discussion about the costs, but also about sustainability.
The town wanted to think about sustainability and planted a fir tree in the Kurpark, which is decorated every year at Christmas – so no tree has to be felled anymore. The spa park fir, however, arrived damaged and negotiations with the shipping company are still ongoing. And then there were also voices in town who would rather see a Christmas tree in the traditional market place. So the responsible tourism committee decided in October to order a second fir tree at short notice. The cost estimate for the administrative proposal even amounted to 25,000 to 30,000 euros. The municipal building yard, on the other hand, was quickly out of the game: because of “accident prevention regulations” and because the transport had recently violated “the regulations of the road licensing regulations and the road traffic regulations”. “We had no influence on where the tree was delivered from, the specialist company put it together,” says a spokeswoman for the market, defending the transport from the Hochsauerland region. That’s around 600 kilometers of road, obviously without legally questionable “accident prevention regulations”.
Now, Oberstdorf isn’t the only place that has to endure discussions about its Christmas trees. In Dresden they put up such a hungry spruce that they have now screwed additional branches onto its trunk. The tree, which is actually exceptionally bare, was intended by the city as a statement, symbolizing the miserable state of the Saxon forests. In Neu-Ulm they also exchanged a fir tree – by the way, by the local building yard – the complaints were too numerous. However, there is no discussion of costs there, many cities and communities rely on donations or their own trees for the Christmas trees. In any case, a five-digit sum for a Christmas tree is by no means the norm.
However, there is hope that in the medium term, Oberstdorf will also be spared a discussion like this year’s. The Church of St. John the Baptist on the market square had already suggested felling a tall thuja and planting a conifer in its place. The committee refused because local politicians did not want to remove a healthy tree. However, the administration was commissioned to keep in touch with the church in order to plant a silver fir on church grounds in the market square. So no more Christmas tree would have to be transported from the north. And if there are no serious safety concerns, the local building yard could then decorate and illuminate such a silver fir without endangering its employees or even the traffic in Oberstdorf.