Vienna lights heart tree ahead of Christmas market opening

Vienna’s heart tree is glowing again in the Rathauspark, three days before the Christmas market opens at Rathausplatz, ORF reported.

About 200 illuminated hearts decorate the tree. Mayor Michael Ludwig said the display made people across Vienna feel that Christmas was approaching.

Also lit up on Tuesday was the “Herzerlflug,” a roughly two-metre-wide illuminated heart. After dark, it travels every 30 minutes from a tower across Rathausplatz on a long cable to the tree.

The Vienna Christmas market opens on Friday. Ludwig and Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner are due to lead the opening ceremony at about 5.30pm.

This year, the market is being held as an ÖkoEvent Plus for the first time, meeting the event’s strictest sustainability criteria. The redesigned children’s section in Rathauspark, towards the university, features 17 oversized Christmas-themed stations for children and families to explore interactively.