Operators of a campsite in Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz have built an 11.50-meter-tall giant snowman from 300 cubic meters of snow. With the help of 30 assistants, including the fire department, the figure was created in seven hours. The giant bears the name 'Lars the Great' after its builder.
In Hahnenklee in the Upper Harz, campsite operator Lydia Böttcher, along with her husband Lars Ruhm, has erected an impressive snowman. The 11.50-meter-tall figure consists of about 300 cubic meters of snow, half of which came from the site and the rest was transported by the winter service. Around 30 helpers were involved, including firefighters, construction vehicle specialists, campers, and a telescopic loader.
The construction took seven hours. First, a four-meter-high form was built from stakes, followed by a circle of scaffolding planks into which the snow was dumped and compacted using a fire hose and water. The head was created similarly as another circle, before everything was rounded and shaped with shovels. Eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons are made of steel, and the snowman wears a three-meter-high top hat as well as a 15-meter-long, hand-knitted green scarf. After completion, the participants celebrated.
The idea came to Böttcher and Ruhm when they heard about the repeatedly built giant snowman in Bischofsgrün in the Fichtelgebirge. It was not about competition, but about using the excess snow on the site. 'Norddeutsche see otherwise never such a big snowman in life,' said Böttcher. The Harz always has snow masses, and with current frost, the snowman will last a while. The figure is named 'Lars the Great' in honor of Lars Ruhm. The NDR had previously reported on it.
