For Mirabell Palace

Salzburg’s city chief gets Christmas tree from Carinthia

The Christmas tree for Salzburg was loaded at Katschberg.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

Why from nearby when the most beautiful spruce for the Christmas market at Mirabell Palace grows on Katschberg? The special transport set off on a long journey on Tuesday. 

The effort involved was enormous: a delegation from the municipal gardening department and the professional fire department set off for Katschberg on Tuesday. Mayor Bernhard Auinger had arranged for the Christmas tree for the Advent market at Mirabell Palace to come from another province for the first time this year. The ideal dimensions were found: 4.2 tons, 20.6 meters and 44 years old. Why is it now a Carinthian and not a Salzburger who will light up in front of Mirabell Palace?

The chainsaw is set to work: The tree started its journey to Salzburg on Tuesday.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

Mayor wanted a needle beauty from Carinthia
"I've enjoyed being a guest at Katschberg for 18 years and thought to myself, why not look beyond the borders of the country?" he says. The Christmas tree's journey is no more time-consuming than transporting it from Lungau. Otherwise, the Salzburg regions take turns. Even more distant places such as Krimml have already donated.

For the first time, a municipality outside Salzburg is donating.(Bild: Holitzky Roland)

Paul Dürnberger, head of the city's FPÖ, sees the Christmas tree campaign as "extremely strange". "We have enough forestry of our own in Salzburg."

An additional hurdle for the Christmas tree transporters on Tuesday: the tree was not allowed through the tunnel construction site on the Tauern highway. It was necessary to take a detour via the Lueg Pass. The "Southerner" was then set up on Mirabellplatz.

A delegation from Carinthia with support from Lungau will arrive for the "lighting of the Christmas tree" (November 26).