Berlin Gendarmenmarkt Christmas tree arrives late after technical faults on transporter

The 20-metre Douglas fir meant for the Christmas market at Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt arrived late on Thursday evening. It had originally been due in the capital during the night to Thursday. Instead, it stood for hours at the Fichtenplan rest area on the southern A10.

According to a police spokesperson quoted by the Tagesspiegel, technical defects were found on the transporter when it was handed over from Brandenburg police to Berlin police. RBB reported on it first. The tree had been felled on Wednesday in Stahnsberg in Potsdam-Mittelmark. The lighting on the transporter was criticised, which held up the journey.

Police said the repair took so long that the period covered by the special permit for the transport ran out. Wide heavy-load vehicles may only travel with a police escort and outside peak traffic hours, so the tree had to wait for another night-time run. According to RBB, a tree specialist watched over it at the rest stop, because a load this heavy can be damaged if it lies for a long time.

On Friday morning the tree was put up at Gendarmenmarkt. From 23 November it is due to decorate the Christmas market there, with more than 100,000 LED lights and additional baubles, RBB reports.

Mishaps with Christmas trees have happened before. Last year a ten-metre spruce broke during transport to the Berlin House of Representatives. In 2022, the transport of a 22-metre fir for the market at the Gedächtniskirche failed because the tree was too wide for a tunnel on the planned route and had to be rerouted.