Having just written a post about creativity where I featured a photograph of Volker Kraft decorating his spectacular Easter Tree, I had to write another post dedicated to the Kraft’s. Pictures of the Kraft’s traditional annual Easter Trees are frequently featured. There is no wonder why everyone loves them; they are beyond beautiful. Here is the story behind them.
This German Family Spent More Than 2 Weeks Decorating A Tree With 10,000 Painted Eggs.
Easter tree? Yes, you read it right. It is the only and the most beautiful Easter tree I ever saw. Tree decoration with eggs during Easter is not an unusual thing in Germany. These trees are called “Eierbaum”, “Osterbaum” or “Ostereierbaum” in German, meaning a tree that is decorated with eggs at Easter.
Christa and Volker Kraft from Saalfeld (Germany) with their family took it very seriously and used more than 10,000 eggs for Easter tree decoration. Unfortunately, 2015 is a farewell year for this Easter tree. The garden will remain closed forever from 7th of April, 2015.
More info: eierbaum-saalfeld.de
It takes around two weeks to hang all 10,000 eggs
The Easter tree in all its glory
It started in 1965 with 18 Eastern eggs
This picture dated ~1970. The left tree is the one they still decorate today.
350 Easter eggs on the tree in 1994
This is how 10,000 eggs on the tree look like
10,000 eggs are the limit as they don’t have storage room for more eggs
Christa Kraft prepares eggs for tree decoration
Kraft started with plastic eggs decades ago, but later switched to real eggs
Kraft’s daughter Gabriela Rumrich is the painter in the family
She drew artistic patterns with silver and gold colors. Later the first landscape and city motifs emerged.
Kraft’s tree has become a tourist attraction, drawing thousands of people every year
Easter tree in the snow
What Volker Kraft does with all these eggs after Easter?
Children eat most of the eggs and the rest I give to charity. Plastic eggs I keep in the garage for next year, – says Volker Kraft.
Each egg is different
Some look like jewelry
