Zugspitze summit cross: flood of stickers leads to expensive restoration!

Zugspitze summit cross: flood of stickers leads to expensive restoration!

The famous summit cross on the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany, is currently attracting the attention of hikers and tourists. The reason? An abundance of adhesive films that almost completely cover the 4.88 meter high and 300 kilogram cross. The cross was so heavily covered with stickers that it was recently dismantled in order to undergo the necessary restoration. How Picture reported, the cross was transported into the valley by helicopter on Tuesday, where it ended up in the hands of the blacksmith Andrea Würzinger in Eschenlohe.

In a complex operation, the experienced blacksmith plans to remove the stickers, sand the surface and apply new gold leaf. 500 sheets of wafer-thin gold leaf worth around 1,500 euros were ordered for the restoration. The goal is clear: the cross should shine in its former glory by the start of the ski season on November 28th. But the challenge is great, because the flood of stickers on the cross is increasing, as Bernard Rieger, the artist from Wallgau, confirms. On a copy of the cross he erected, you can also find a variety of stickers, often with political messages and football motifs.

The cross as a target for vandals

Despite a webcam constantly focused on the cross, attaching stickers does not seem to be an obstacle for many tourists. However, from a legal point of view, attaching such stickers constitutes property damage, which presents the operators of Bayerische Zugspitzbahn AG with a dilemma. A spokeswoman said that they had resigned themselves to having to observe the disrespectful actions of the visitors. Even removing the stickers would be costly and logistically complex. And even once the cross is brilliantly restored, the stickers seem to keep coming back, as the situation shows.

The increasing popularity of the Alps as a travel destination, which attracts around 100 million visitors every year, is leading to conflicts and negative impacts on nature and the landscape. This development, coupled with climate change that threatens snow security and thus the ski seasons, calls for a rethink in tourism. The German Alpine Association is therefore committed to environmentally friendly tourism and appeals for the necessary respect for nature conservation guidelines. A respectful treatment of natural areas could also help to reduce the massive misuse of stickers in symbolic places in the Alps, such as the Zugspitze.

Now it remains to be seen whether the planned restoration work on the summit cross will lead to a rethink among visitors. Perhaps we could even replace the stickers with responsible tourism and awareness of the importance of such places. The cross not only represents the alpine beauty, but also the responsibility we bear as visitors.