With a 100-metre long cross-country ski run and a 50-metre long toboggan run, this year's “Winter Moments” in the municipality of Mamer is set to make a big splash.
In addition to the traditional 700-square-metre ice rink, 16 stalls and a large two-storey chalet, the municipality to the west of the capital is trying something new this year, after the cancellation of its Christmas market in 2020.
“We have the impression that our mayor wants to boast about having the most beautiful Christmas market, that it's a question of prestige,” says Adèle Schaaf, a local councillor for Déi Gréng.
Her political group abstained Monday night from voting on the €1.3m budget for electrical work, which includes the supply of diesel generators to power the snow cannons on the ski slope. “We are not against the Christmas market, we even have a chalet. But this year, in the context of COP26 in Glasgow, we feel that it is simply not the right message to send to the population," said Schaaf.
A temporary solution
As a signatory of the Climate Pact and member of the Klima-Bündnis Lëtzebuerg alliance, the municipality of Mamer is led by a CSV and LSAP coalition. Its mayor Gilles Roth (CSV) is also a member of parliament who takes part in discussions on finances within his political group.
Contacted by Delano's sister publication Paperjam, the mayor, who has been elected since 2000, insisted that the use of diesel generators is exceptional and temporary. "The electricity supply is not powerful enough to power the snow cannons, but work to improve the electricity network is planned in the coming months to remedy this. This work corresponds to the €1.3m estimate adopted on Monday evening,” said Roth.
As for the ethical questions surrounding the organisation of such a market, the mayor said: "We are organising this after the pandemic, in the interest of families and young people. The cross-country ski track will not be very extensive and will only be in operation during the Christmas holidays.” He added that "those who are posing for climate morality, I guess I won't meet them on any more planes or ski slopes abroad.”
Nearly €6m dedicated to events in Mamer
Gilles Roth estimates the budget for the "Winter Moments" at around €250,000. for its Christmas market is over €3m. The mayor, Lydie Polfer (DP), avoided any comparison on Thursday morning and said: “We don't want to stand out, we just want to make a difference. We are working to bring joy to the people.”
The municipality of Mamer, with a population of 10,200, has published a budget of €5.8m for events in 2021, which represents more than 17% of all planned ordinary expenditure. This represents a 26.4% increase in annual variation, reaching €33.1m.
The "Schnéi am Park" operation, which runs from 17 December to 2 January, is free of charge and equipment is on loan. The Christmas festivities run from 26 November to 2 January in the municipality of Mamer.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.