Saalfeld Easter egg tree

Saalfeld Easter egg tree with 9200 eggs, taken on March 24, 2009

The Saalfeld Easter egg tree (or Easter egg tree in Saalfeld ) is an apple tree of the Kraft and Rumrich families in Saalfeld, Thuringia, that has become famous for its Easter decorations . Until 2015 it stood in the Kraft family's garden on the southern outskirts of the city in the Auf den Rödern residential area . Since then it has been in different locations within the city, most recently in the pedestrian zone in the city center.

history

The tree was decorated for the first time in 1965, then with only 18 plastic eggs. Initiator Volker Kraft describes why he started decorating as follows: “The origin is a childhood memory from 1945. When I went to school earlier, I had to pass a lilac bush that was decorated at Easter ... And when I had children , I said: They'll get an Easter egg tree too. ”By 1994 the number of eggs rose to around 350. As the tree grew, more eggs were needed, which provided the Krafts by blowing out almost all of the eggs used in the household and then decorating them with various techniques. Used eggs were packed after Easter and reused the next year. When the Krafts' children grew up, the egg show lost its momentum and only gained momentum again when the grandchildren, who had been born in the meantime, were introduced to the family tradition. The number of eggs was soon so great that the decorated tree increasingly attracted visitors from outside the family.

Between 1994 and 2009, an average of 700 Easter eggs were added each year, but due to storms, hail or vandalism , dozens of Easter eggs were broken (or were discarded), so that an average of 590 more eggs were hanging on the tree each Easter. The exact number of new eggs per year, however, fluctuated greatly. In 2012 the magical limit of 10,000 eggs was exceeded for the first time. In a television interview, Volker Kraft confirmed that due to insufficient storage capacity, no more will be added. However, the Saalfeld tree does not hold the record for most Easter eggs. For example, in April 2007 the Rostock Zoo achieved an entry in the Guinness Book of Records with a red oak with 76,596 blown and painted eggs .

In 1995, a Ver.di training building was built in the immediate vicinity , which brought the tree even more visitors and national recognition. In 2003 newspapers reported from the Netherlands, Kuwait, and later from Austria, Spain, Australia, Thailand, the USA and South Africa. The number of visitors has increased continuously since then. For 2008, a meter installed by Volker Kraft out of curiosity - admission to the private garden is free - around 6,000 guests. At the request of many visitors, the family has been offering postcards and souvenirs on site and via the Internet since 2005.

The Easter egg tree after its "move" to the pedestrian zone in 2017.

The Kraft family decorated the tree for the last time in 2015. Also in 2015, the tree was featured in the show with the mouse . The city of Saalfeld awarded the Kraft couple the Saalfeld City Medal in 2015. After long deliberations about the future of the tree, it will continue from 2016 under new leadership and at a new location. The Kraft and Rumrich families will then no longer be involved, but almost all eggs will be visible at the new location at Easter.

Shaping the tree

Depending on the weather and the date of Easter, the hanging of the eggs begins between the end of February and the end of March about four weeks before Easter . It takes up to two weeks for around 10,000 eggs to decorate the entire tree; in 2009, for example, it took 9 days. Since 2016, among other things, a lifting platform has been helping with faster hanging and unhitching.

Until 2015, the family members, especially Volker Kraft himself, his wife Christa and daughter Gabriela Rumrich, were responsible for the decoration. Because of the considerable size of the tree, ladders had to be used. The eggs are attached gradually from top to bottom and from the inside out.

Before the branches begin to sprout, the tree must be emptied again, otherwise it would be damaged. When the ten thousand mark was exceeded in 2012, the upper limit has been reached and no further increase is possible for reasons of space.

Design of eggs

Close-up of decorated tree

All eggs are mouth-blown, most of them are then sprayed with patterns in one or more colors. There is also a large number of painted eggs with motifs of the city, such as the city gates or the local history museum, but also famous buildings around the world. Many eggs are elaborately crocheted and therefore also protected against the weather. Year after year, new motifs or techniques are added, and perforated eggs have also been found on trees since 2009. Some eggs are redesigned more extensively and take on the shape of frogs, turtles, hedgehogs or hot air balloons, for example . For this purpose, further details of the eggs are designed with modeling clay.

But visitors to the tree also bring eggs to hang on the tree, and as the audience grows, the number of eggs given also increased. Eggs from distant countries are now also represented.

A selection of particularly successful eggs was kept in a special showcase to protect against wind, weather and vandalism. They were there for all visitors to see until 2015.