Cherry blossom info for 2018 Flea market at cherry blossom time
Every year, cherry blossoms in the Bonn Altstadt (Old Town) draw many tourists. This year, the blossoms are a little late in coming and like last year, there will be no festival but a flea market and surrounding activities.
One can hardly imagine Bonn without this pink spectacle. Every spring, many tourists from all over the world come to Bonn's Old Town to see the cherry blossoms between Heerstraße and Breite Straße. Although it is a blessing for tourism, it is considered a burden for the residents, and it lasts several weeks. As in the year previous, there will not be a centralized cherry blossom festival this year, but there will be a flea market on April 14 and some surrounding events.
Peak blossom time for 2018
This year, the blossoms are likely to come only starting in mid-April. At the moment, the buds are still tightly closed. Because weather plays a crucial role, an exact timing cannot be predicted. When it is too warm, the blossoms are already withering in mid-April. If it is too cold, the buds open late. The norm has been that the peak flowering season is in mid-April and stays for around ten days to two weeks.
Origins in the eighties
Described as one of the most beautiful districts of Bonn in the spring, the Old Town was still quite gray just three decades ago and characterized by heavy through traffic. In the mid-1980s, several urban planners finally took on the renovation of the narrow streets. The historic facades were renewed all around, the traffic situation relaxed and Japanese cherry blossoms were planted - despite initial protests from local residents who were worried about darkened apartments. Nobody could have guessed at the time that the pink sea of flowers would become a crowd puller.
"Japanese cherry" (Prunus serrulata) is the name of the trees in the Old Town. On Heerstraße and Breite Straße there are 60 Japanese cherry trees of the "Kanzan" variety, which is known for its particularly lush and bright pink flowers. Because the trees are about 30 years old, the city of Bonn began to replace some of the 300 trees in 2014.
Social media hype
The cherry blossoms in Bonn have become something of an international event both online and offline. On social networks, some say that Heerstraße is one of the most beautiful streets in the world come cherry blossom season. Bloggers mention them in their lists of places that everyone should have visited. The Facebook page "Places to see before you die" dedicated a special feature to the cherry blossoms in 2012, making it even more well-known worldwide. On Instagram, there are many hashtags in German and English, and there will certainly be more coming this season.
Flea market 2018
Getting there
It’s difficult to find an open parking space in the Old Town during cherry blossom season. A better idea is to take tram line 66 and get out at the “Stadthaus” stop. As an alternative, one can also take bus 604 or 605 directly to the Old Town, getting out at the stops "Dorotheenstraße" and "Heerstraße". It is about a 15-minute walk from the Bonn Central Station. (Orig. text: Judtih Nikula, Translation: ck)
