Reduced Christmas lighting on the Ku'damm
The Christmas lights have officially been switched on on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm shopping mile. Due to a lack of funds, they are less opulent than in other years. The starting signal was given on Wednesday evening by the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), among others. The organizer had announced that the trees along the boulevard would be illuminated with around 140 kilometers of LED lights. The lighting will extend from Rathenauplatz in Halensee via Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzienstraße to Wittenbergplatz, according to the City Working Group, which is committed to upgrading City West.
This year there will be slightly fewer lights along the 4.5 kilometers. The 600,000 euros that would have been needed for a complete illumination with large lighting elements such as snowmen and nutcrackers had not been raised, it was said. The spectacle that has now opened is being financed with 100,000 euros from the Senate and 330,000 euros from businesses and Berliners.
The Christmas lights will reportedly attract visitors to the shopping mile in the west of Berlin every day from 4 p.m. until January 6.
Despite the reduced funding, the customs authorities ensured that necessary imports for the LED lights were fixed for the annual Ku'damm lighting. With the customized lighting plan, the trade association advocated for a more energy-efficient and cost-effective approach this year.
Source: www.dpa.com
