Bonn's famous cherry blossoms are here!

Bonn's annual springtime cherry blossoms splendor draws tourist throngs from around the world. But to discourage gatherings of people under the branches during the coronavirus crisis, we've arranged for a digital delivery of the pink blooms to be enjoyed on your phone or home office screen.

Bonn's spectacular pink effusions have circled the globe on Instagram and Facebook, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the city from all over the world. With the pandemic blooming as well, the city has kindly asked visitors not to come to see the cherry blossoms this season.

Most people are going along with the rule and staying away. Those who do come seem to maintain the mandatory precautionary distance of 1.5 meters. Still, there have been violations so the city is blocking all access to the area — residents and business excepted — as of April 8.

Local authorities keep an eye on things to prevent clusters of people forming. Security personnel in yellow vests have been patrolling under the branches to disperse larger gatherings.

In 2012, the Facebook account "Places to See Before You Die" turned what had been a local spectacle into an international must-see event. The travel guide Lonely Planet recommended Bonn as one of the Top Ten Cities in 2020, calling the visual explosion a "Dream in Pink." Then came the corona outbreak.

Particularly splendid are the blossoms on the nearly 60 trees of the Japanese Kazan variety. Altogether Bonn's old city center has about 300 ornamental cherry trees.

The city of Bonn planted many of the decorative cherry blossom trees in the late 1980s to beautify a once drab working-class neighborhood. Cherry trees were only second choice; Hawthornes were out of stock

Bonn's cherry blossom spectacle is flanked not only by ornate old building facades but a flea market, a photo competition, guided tours and sales of cherry blossom ice cream, cherry cake and cherry beer. All the side attractions are cancelled this year of course.

Bonn isn't the only cherry blossom city to be hit by cancellations. Famous cherry blossom festivities in Japan have been called off as well — which is just as well as these annual events attract millions of visitors in Tokyo and Osaka.

Cherry blossoms are called "sakura" in Japanese, while there's even a word for contemplating the blooms: "hanami," literally "flower viewing." Some Asian cultures see the cherry blossom as a harbinger of change, and a symbol of the transitory nature of life. Before long, Bonn's cherry blossoms will also wilt and disappear.

The average lifespan of a cherry tree is only about 40 years. Many of Bonn's specimens are getting on in years, meaning some will soon start to rot and be a target for fungus.

But the city has been planning ahead by starting to plant new cherry trees. That way, Bonn's annual "hanami" festivities will be sustained for the future — which, we hope, will be corona-free!