Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Tree Stranded on the A10 with Tree Specialist on Watch

A 20-metre-tall Douglas fir felled on Wednesday in Stahnsberg, in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, was supposed to arrive in Berlin overnight into Thursday to serve as the centrepiece of the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market. Instead, it remains at the Fichtenplan rest area on the southern A10 motorway. During the formal handover of the transport vehicle from Brandenburg to Berlin police escorts, officers discovered technical defects — most notably problems with the truck's lighting, though further issues may also be present. The transport company has since told police that the defects have been fixed. Officers plan to re-examine the vehicle on Thursday evening, and if it passes inspection, the tree should reach central Berlin during the night into Friday. Because wide heavy-load transporters may only travel with a police escort and outside peak traffic hours, the journey must wait for a night window. A tree care specialist has been stationed at the rest stop in the meantime, as a heavy tree lying on the ground for an extended period risks sustaining damage. Once the Douglas fir is erected at the Gendarmenmarkt, it will be decorated with more than 100,000 LED lights and additional glitter baubles, with the Christmas market set to open on 23 November.