- Some 1,400 bids for 20 "Swift Church" signs
Around 1,400 Taylor Swift fans attempted to acquire one of the "Swiftkirchen" town signs from Gelsenkirchen. The highest bid at the auction of the 20 signs, which were erected for the pop star's concerts, stood at 3,000 euros, the city of Gelsenkirchen announced. The top 20 bids came from all over Germany, with one even from overseas.
The 20 highest bidders will now be informed via email about the award and the next steps. Once all payments are confirmed, the city will announce the total amount raised. "The highest bidders have two weeks to pay for their sign or withdraw from the auction," a city spokesman said. The proceeds will go to social institutions in Gelsenkirchen.
A sign at the House of History
One of the "Swiftkirchen" signs was handed over to the Bonn House of History last week. In total, 35 town signs were placed at various locations in the city center in July, the spokesman said. "Some of them have disappeared. A few were stolen."
The yellow signs by graphic designer Uwe Gelesch feature the black lettering "Swiftkirchen" and a pink portrait of the singer, surrounded by colorful hearts, stars, a guitar, and a heart-shaped sunglasses. Gelesch also signed the special town signs.
Gelsenkirchen temporarily renamed itself "Swiftkirchen" in honor of the three concerts by the US singer in mid-July. The city followed a petition by a student and Swift fan from the Lower Rhine region. Around 200,000 fans flocked to the Ruhr area city for the Germany debut of "The Eras Tour" around the Veltins Arena on Schalke.
Music played a significant role in bringing Taylor Swift's fans together, as they bid on the "Swiftkirchen" town signs. The unique designs, featuring a guitar and sunglasses, reflected the pop star's love for music.
