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Swans on the Alster: accompanied by boats
Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa
Now winter is over for Hamburg's living landmarks too: the 120 or so Alster swans left their winter quarters on Tuesday morning and are back on the Outer Alster and the surrounding waters.
Swan father Olaf Nieß and his team accompanied the mute swans out of the neighborhood in boats.
Onlookers watched the spectacle along the route and at the town hall lock.
Hoping for offspring
The birds always spend the cold months in their winter quarters at the Eppendorf mill pond.
There they can be fed if necessary and the water remains ice-free even at low temperatures.
During this season, they had to stay in a covered winter quarters for almost half a year to be protected from the bird flu that was circulating.
Now the swan father is hoping for healthy offspring.
The Hamburger Schwanenwesen is a municipal department.
It has a centuries-old tradition, because in Hamburg the swans are a symbol of freedom and independence of the Hanseatic city - and one of Hamburg's landmarks.
The office of the Swan Father has existed since 1674. Olaf Nieß thus occupies what is probably the oldest permanent position in the city of Hamburg.
ptz/dpa
