Who Has, Officially, The World's Biggest Christmas Tree?
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- Опубликовано: 18 дек 2023
- Yes, once again, this channel asks the REAL questions. But with at least 4 different countries claiming the record for the world's biggest Christmas tree, which one is actually the largest? I travelled to The Netherlands to see one of the main contenders...
INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
TWIT - / thetimtraveller
FACE - / thetimtraveller
Drone shots thanks to Wiebe de Jager & Chris van Vleuten
Wiebe's drone channel - / @wdejager
Original video here - / 1733723628015931567
On-stage button-pressing footage thanks to Tom Heuvel (reismeester.com/) & Patrick van Domburg (Mayor of IJsselstein)
Oh wow I think you wrote this whole video as an excuse for the (admittedly superb) joke at the end... also, whoo Basingstoke!
London, Paris, New York, Basingstoke.
That's not important.
The real question is; why Basingstoke?
@@DickHolman I think that's where Tim is from.
Whoo Basingstoke is not something I think has ever been expressed before lol.
@@MathiasGmail86 Basingstoke is one of these underdog 20th century towns that everyone loves to bash but has actually got some fantastic 1930s architecture... like Slough. Betjeman was such a bloody awful snob.
That bigger tree pun was glorious, outstanding work lol
Also, Pedantree
I actually LOLed to that, good work Tim
Came here to say the same, to support script writers against the rude boss.. Even if they share a name 😂
I bet this video was in the pipeline for months when Tim planted one tiny little pun...
I laughed. Out loud.
Tim, it's not the size of your christmas tree. its how you use it
And the girth!
That's what all people with small Christmas trees say.
🙃
And whether there's a fairy on top.
I think that all on this list made a lot of women happy. And men, too.
It is a standing tradition here in NL. There were a few years of hardship where they were deemed unable to put the lights on display. Some Dutch celebrities then decided to chip in some donation to make sure the lights would be up there. Thát important is it to (most of) us Dutch that the Gerbrandytoren is lit up every year.
In answer to your last question. Living in Rotterdam I am reasonably able to see the lit-up tower as soon as I leave the eastern outskirts of the city. I know that you can see it from the south (along the A27 Motorway) from roughly the northern border area of the North Brabant province (Land van Altena). So that's both on around the 30km (or 19mi) range.
A couple of years ago on the morning that the lights were to be lit there was a lightning that struck. The blast was heard in de Binnenstad. Sadly that year we also had no christmas tree.
Yes this thing is amazing, it has been a huge landmark during winter time for as long as I can remember.
And yeah you can indeed see it from very far away. I recently spotted it when driving south on the A27 across the Stichtse Brug (bridge from Flevoland to Utrecht). Which is also about 30km away, but I reckon it is probably possible to spot from up to 50km away given you are high enough to see over the local tree's and structures.
I really hope we can keep this amazing and silly tradition for many years to come. :DD
0:04 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
1:04 - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
1:35 - Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
2:12 - O Tannenbaum - Ernst Anschütz/Melchior Franck
2:38 - Even Better Than the Real Thing - U2
3:58 - You're the Best - Joe Esposito
4:43 - You're the Best - Joe Esposito
5:28 - "Wish You Were Here?" theme (christmas reprise)
Thanks!
U2 - Even better than the real thing?
@@Marnitvw Great ear! Updated.
As a Dutchie born in Utrecht in 1985, i grew up with this tree and i'm still immensely proud of what was created here.
Immensely proud of a clever and very nice, but still, sideproduct.. i cant imagine how proud you must be of actual acomplishments like the Delta works:p that said, i like the tree too.. when i visit Lopik i see it
Fellow Utrechter here, i'm there with you. Ever since i was a little kid, the sight of the tree always filled my heart with joy! Also when on the road, driving back home, the giant tree in the distance is so warming. Knowing it's near home and watching it get bigger and bigger the closer you get.
@@_qilo_4329 The Delta works are an impressive accomplishment and listed as a modern world wonder (by the society of american civil angineers) for good reason.
Uuuuuuuuuuuu
@@wilcovanwinden6581 yea i know, thats why i used that..........
As a British guy living in Utrecht and working near Nieuwegein, it makes me very happy to see this. I can see it from my window near Wilhelminapark, also as far as Woerden
It can be seen from much further. In Rotterdam and Uithoorn on the 3th floor you can clearly see it.
I always see it from the train between utrecht and gouda too!
@@cvbattum Also very well visible from the A12 between those cities.
To all fellow Dutch people here: can't we just give Tim a big applause for his almost perfect pronunciation of the word "IJsselstein"? I say we do! 😂
Then, "Utrecht" was also almost correct. Very impressive!
yeah he did really great with most Dutch words.
until he tried Gerbrandy toren, that one got butchered pretty gruesome.
Surprisingly his pronunciation of the word "goedendag" was the worst of all. It was all uphill from there 😄
@@Astfgl absoluut. Dat verbaasde me ook ja😂
I'm always impressed with his pronunciation of words in foreign languages. You can clearly tell he's at least looking up the proper pronunciation beforehand and quite likely even practices a few times. Very much appreciated.
His "goedendag" needs some work though 🙂
Mount Ingino is 880m above sea level at the top and 550m at the bottom (town level). So it's probably not more than 330m in the vertical dimension.
The Christmas tree display of Gubbio runs from 580 m of elevation at its base to 820 m at the top, so technically the Dutch one is more "vertically tall".
Living in Dortmund I would like to state that this "tree" is actually a flower arrangement for which hundreds of smaller trees are attached to a huge scaffold. Nevertheless, it serves it purpose to attract visitors to Dortmund's Christmas market.
Yeah, Frankentree is just horrid
@@Trichloressigsaeure"Frankentree" 😂
@@Trichloressigsaeure in that case it would have needed to be placed in Frankfurt.
So you win "biggest Christmas tree flower arrangement"! 🎉Congrats! 😊
@@sirBrouwerNuremberg would be more appropriate
Nice to see the Christmas tree of IJsselstein featured on your channel! It has become a tradition for our family to attend the lighting of the tree and therefore I also make yearly donations to the non-profit organisation behind it. Whenever we're travelling across the country during Christmas season, it's always a heartwarming beacon of light guiding us home from tens of miles away because we live only a couple of minutes away from that tower. Actually, seeing as you went there by tram, you must have passed our house Tim. :)
This year in Spain there was sort of a competition between 2 cities (Vigo, famous for its Christmas lights, and Badalona, which is the new one in that matter) to see which of them had the biggest tree of Spain.
The funniest part is that a small town in Northern Spain (Cartes) surpassed them, and the biggest one ended up being a tree in a mall in Granada, so the 2 opponents ended up with the 3rd and 4th place hahaha
PD: for those who are wondering, the top goes like this (and all are LED trees, of course):
Granada (mall): 57m
Cartes: 45m
Vigo: 40.5m
Badalona: 40m
I still can't fathom why Tim insists on calling it the pedantry *corner*, when clearly the whole channel is littered with pedantry and it's what we're here for in the first place.
Pedantree
@@simontay4851 get out!
He's hoping that by pointing out the more egregious pedantry the overall background pedantry will be less obvious.
I have lived for almost my whole life in the neighbouring town of Nieuwegein. And I could always see the ‘tree’ in December, I basically grew up with it. You can see it from so far away. And whenever I’m on the road and see the tree in the far distance, I know I’m almost home :). Thanks for showing the world about it Tim!
5:19 I’m dead. 🤣
“Pedantree Corner” was also peak Tim Traveler.
Goeiedag! 👋🏼
Ps. I can see it from Gouda. Which is in the direction of Rotterdam.
Thanks for the great videos all year, Mr Traveller.
Pedantree. Bigger-tree. Wow, Tim, wow
Driving past it on nearby highways, its size is really impressive, and very satisfying to look at while in motion.
I grew up about 12 kilometres from this structure, so it's nice to see you visit somewhere so close to home. You could definitely see it from my hometown on a clear night.
Also, someone who is much better at mathematics than me needs to calculate the height of the tree in Italy, as I really want to know.
if you stood on a rooftop to see above the surrounding trees and houses you could probably see that tower from 30-40km away
I used to live in an apartment tower in Amersfoort and could see it from there. It was 30 kilometers away as-the-crow-flies.
I can confirm that the tree in DeSoto is in fact not the "world's tallest christmas tree structure where the lights create a new shape independent of the existing structure" as the drop tower ride Atmosfear at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden gets the same style of christmas tree lights hung up every year and is taller, at 116 metres. There may very well be even taller ones in that niche though.
Was just about to write exactly this. It's a bit ironic that they didn't bother to google this in DeSoto. Lisebergstornet has been a christmas tree structure for the past, oh I don't know, 15-20 christmases or so (or perhaps they meant in the USA by "in the world :P ).
Cool to see you back here! Nobody actually says "goedendag" though... if you want your Dutch greeting to be unique (i imagine 'hallo' would not be distinctive enough) maybe go for "hoi" or alternatively "goeie morgen/goeie middag/goeienavond"
Well, not many people, at any rate. Goedendag is used on occasion. Goedemorgen/Goedemiddag/Goedenavond is indeed much more common, though.
But he isn't Jim Carrey 😮 😂
That Seattle actual tree from the 50s is mighty impressive, though. Good on you, Seattle.
One thing is for sure, at 120km from IJsselstein, i cant see it.
Love to see Utrecht, currently studying there on Erasmus!! Saw the tree last Friday, it’s truly so awesome in person🎄
Yes, but how far away can you see it from?
I haven't seen it from here in Utrecht but I'm sure on a clear evening you most likely could somewhere high up, was able to see it perfectly in Nieuwegein which is between the two cities
To answer your question, As a one of the few Dutch persons I can’t see it because there is a mountain in the way.. (also, it would be impressive if you could see it from Maastricht (which is located in a valley)
As a Dutchie from Maastricht, I can confirm that the tree is not visible that far away (and indeed with al other things in the way). Maybe you would be able to see it from Den Bosch or even Eindhoven, but either way, you would need a drone or a really high building :)
As a dutch person now living in Utrecht with family in Breda, it's always a delight in winter to drive from Breda to Utrecht and see the tree from the highway from what must be a dozen kilometers away. Really brightens my day :)
Not to be pedantic but technically it brightens your night too ;)
Happy Holidays, Tim!
Hi there, I am actually the technical responsible Guy for this langestraat Xmas tree and ran into your nice video. Great work, thank you for that, staking thexwhole thing in the right perspectieven. Best regards from the Netherlands
Happy Christmas Tim 👏 new subscriber this year, absolutely hooked.
I live fairly close to Ijsselstein, and can see the tree everyday if I leave my city (Oudewater) in whatever direction.
If I remember correctly, you are able to, depending where you are looking from, see the tree from about 30 to 40 km away.
Because of its height and the lights guess it should been seen from the higher buildings in Rotterdam. That’s at least 40 km. Not when it is cloudy.
On a clear night you can see the tree from Rotterdam. That's around 48 km away.
I live in Soest on a small hill. I can see it from 32km. But i saw it from a bridge at Zaltbommel, which is 50 km i do believe.
I must have lived on the wrong side of that hill, or they just hadn't started with the lights when I lived there. But I'm a bit stumped how I missed it when living in Utrecht in a tall building. Now I'm more than half the country away and Tim is right: I can't see it.
If we'd be measuring by volume/mass, it would HAVE to be the Ryugyong hotel in Pyongyang. It's triangular and it's lit with red, blue and white lights. Plus it's 330m tall, which is not quite the record but still massive.
North Korea entered the chat
But it has nothing to do with Christmas.
Christmas is seen as a christian tradition in the DPRK,and all religious celebrating that has nothing to do with Juche is forbidden.
But if a Christmas tree can be a Christmas tree without being a tree, is it possible to be a Christmas tree without being Christmas?
@@hassesiemonsdochter574Ma heid asplode…
😅😅
All the best for the season Tim
Recently drove from Helmond to Amsterdam and I could see it from about Breukelen and from Geldermalsen
Marry Christmas Tim, and a Happy New Year.
Happy Christmas Tim. 🎄
😂😂😂Pedantree Corner at 4:20 - well played 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Pedantree corner: the tree, erm, radio tower is also called the "Lopik" tower, even though Lopik is a town a short distance away. The reason is that the short wave emitters (for radio broadcast) are at Lopik and in the 60s, those were deemed more important this new thing called television, whose tower was in IJsselstein, just a short distance away.
That is so groanworthy and I love it. Have a good one Tim.
I learned today that in the UK a Christmas is called 'white' when somewhere in the UK some snowflakes fall and the flakes don't even have to be visible on the ground. It can even be sleet. If you're that loose with your Christmas definitions: the structure in IJsselstein is definitely a tree. 😄
While in the Netherlands, the ground has to be fully covered with snow in one specific village (De Bilt) on both 25 AND 26 December.
As far as I’m aware the snow has to fall onto the grounds of the met office for it to be a white Christmas (for betting purposes)
@@heeeeeyyyyyyyyy *Which* met office? I have to imagine the UK has more than one....
@@user-fj7df3ng7z Traditionally it was their HQ in London, but now that's moved to Exeter, so it's now a White Christmas in a particular location, with betting being common. To bring it back to the video though, storm names are shared between the Met Office, Met Eirann in Ireland, and the Dutch KNMI. Presumably as if one of us is taking a battering the others will feel the effect too.
Here in Melbourne (Australia), it's usually at least a warm day. But about 15 years ago, we got a heavy fall of hail which stayed on the ground for some time. Does that count as a White Christmas?
Damn it Tim, you were in The Netherlands again and I didn't know! You were even super close to where I live! Anyway, glad to see you back and thanks for shining a spotlight on our wonderfully unique Christmas tree :D
Can you see the tree from your home?
@@rjung_ch If I stand on the roof of my apartment building, I probably can. It's a bit too rainy to be going out on the roof right now though :p
@@Astfgl don't make up excuses, we need to know!
@@Astfgl Typical Netherlands...
@@Astfgl good point of standing on roof's during the rain!
0:13 love the combination of New York, Paris, and Basingstoke
Merry Christmas Tim.
I live in Amsterdam and as we speak I can see the Christmas Tree Gerbrandytoren from my window at about 42 kilometers distance!
But given that on a clear day I can see buildings in Rotterdam (55 km) and, if lucky, plumes of chimney smoke in Geertruidenberg (72 km) I guess that the tower would be visible from similar distances in the Netherlands.
I just love your videos!! Your mix of facts, irony and humor is so amazing! How do you find all "weird" things around the world?
A very Merry Christmas from Sweden to you Tim Traveller!!
AND: Of course I subscribe to your channel with joy! 🤩
My grandmother lived in Nieuwegein right next to Ijsselstein and as she was born the day after Christmas we would always go there the 27th and see the tree lit up coming down on the highway. This is the first year we will not be passing it as she passed away this summer at 99.
I live in Utrecht, and when I cycle (duh) at night I can see it from many neighbourning villages. Love that you covered this one Tim, when I stick my head out of my window I can see this tree everyday :)
Can't you see through your window?
Have a wonderful Christmas Tim. Thank you for all your videos🎅
I live a few towns over from Ijsselstein, and it genuinely makes me feel nicer when its turned on. I've found myself strangest spots still being able to see the tree all throughout the region, its makes me happy every time it catches my eyes during the holidays.
And that's what it's all about.
In a very open place, you can see it from about 20 kilometers away. With and without the lights.
I drive trains for a living and between Gouda and Woerden i have a clear view of the tower in the evening and night.
Fijne feestdagen Tim!
Nice you was in the Netherlands again, especially for this event.
Haven't seen the Gerbrandytoren in a while, and live to far away to see it from home.
(Just remembered, cycled 80 kilometers ( and back) in my Velomobile to the Nedereinds berg this summer for Recumb3nt and Velomobile races there, close by IJsselstein.
When I was driving around the country more for work I've seen it plenty of times, always impressive!
And if you want to cover our races next year, visit Cycle Vision Amsterdam in June, or the World Championships in Betteshanger Park, Deal, in August!
Dutchy here. Hallo! So, I flew with the drone one day above my house in Den Dolder. What is almost 20 km's from the tower: And the Christmas tree was visible on the screen. So, it will not surprise me when you can see it from towns like Amersfoort or Hilversum when you are living in a 10 story condo.
Awesome that you were in The Netherlands again Tim! Tot ziens!
The biggest christmas tree ever being in seattle is not at all a surprise considering how dense the pine trees are. The entire PNW is just one large temperate rainforest.
For all the millions of non-Americans, please explain 'PNW'.
@@peterdean8009 "Pacific NorthWest".
And pines are very much NOT the predominant evergreens in our forests. Douglas-Fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Red Cedar are.
@@Trebuchet48 Oh please, every one is going to say they're pine trees. People just say pine trees to talk about every evergreen. It doesn't matter.
Living in the Netherlands and working in Utrecht I see the IJsselstein Christmas tree from my car. The first glimpse I get is around Geldermalsen, which is about 20 km from IJsselstein.
Merci Tim, bon Noël 🎉
To answer your question Tim. Driving back from work in the the Hague & Leiden area to my former home close to IJsselstein, I have spotted the christmas tree on clear nights when exciting Leiden and entering the N11, or from the A12 between Zoetermeer and Gouda.
I am happy to confirm that you can see this tree display from Sint Maarten.
Well I've just seen it from Waikikkamukau in New Zealand. Admittedly it was on the screen of my computer but it's the seeing that counts. 😁
Used to see it on the road from Gouda to Hilversum near Utrecht. It's so tall you can see it miles away
Another great video. Always look forward to your information and sense of humor!
I wonder if it can be seen from the top of The Netherlands' tallest mountain.
Given the “height“ of that”mountain” I severely doubt that 😂
Tallest mountain in the netherlands is in the Caribbean !
Nope.
@@malcolmhardwick4258 No, the Caribbean is not in the Netherlands. It's in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Slightly different.
the tower is higher than said mountain
“We want to see a Christmas tree! …
so I’ve brought you to this 1960s radio tower.”
Mmhm yep this is what we all want
Hey, it's efficient!
Small country, not much space, things have to do double duty.
Like a children's playground/ a bike bridge/ a school, see de Dafne Schippersbrug.
Or a museum/ a foot path/ a bike path/an auditorium/ a tourist attraction. See het Rijksmuseum or more specific, the bike path going through het Rijksmuseum.
Or a bike path/ clearance for HGV's passing through that intersection/a bridge/ lit up at night it's a postcard for the city of Eindhoven. See de Hovenring.
Or a tunnel for cars/a harbour for old ships/a museum/a café/a public park - playground on the rooftop. See science museum Nemo.
Or very old school, a museum/ nature reserve. See de Hoge Veluwe with het Kröller-Müller museum.
They're all great Christmas trees/structures! That was an entertaining video. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Far, far, faaaaaaaar too long without you! Welcome back!
Christmas, pedantry, and a historical reference to a historically significant mall in my own hometown? This video is a Christmas miracle to me!
* pedantree
you can see it from about 30~35km away if weather permits and you can get a reasonable line of sight.
Thank you Tim, have a lovely holiday!
I live in Utrecht and for most of the year I forget we have that thing, because from the distance I usually see it the tension wires are practically invisible. Until this part of the year when it’s still dark outside and I see this thing from at least 10km away while on my way to school. But I have had instances were it was visible from the highway at night which would at least be 20km.
They also called it the " de kerstboom voor vrachtwagenchauffeurs" or in english, "the christmas tree for the truck drivers".
You can't see it from really far. It depents from where you come from.
From Amsterdam, the north and from the polder, Utrecht is the first in the way. it then blocks the view. From the south or The Hague/Rotterdam you can see it from about 10 kilometers away.
Merry Christmas, Tim; maybe it’s the tallest decorated communications mast? It’s not a tree really 😜
Or maybe it's the world's tallest Christmas tree shaped...thing?
@@madadhdbrain - that’ll do!
WE (Americans) LOVE YOU, TIM, and Merry Christmas!!
Wonderful!!
Thanks Tim.
i usually see the christmas tree in IJsselstein from the bicicle bridge in Lunetten crossing the A12. that's ~8,5 km, but that's a pretty clear view from a somewhat elevated position
Fun fact(s):
Altough located in IJsselstein, the Gerbrandy tower is better know as the 'Lopik broadcast tower', Named after the nearby town of Lopik.
Also, during the christmas period of 1996, a group of HAM-radio amateurs set up a radio shack in the 'crows nest', and it was assigned the callsign PA6XMT. PA6 being the prefix for the Netherlands, and XMT standing for Christmas tree.
By the way, nice job of pronouncing IJsselstein and Utrecht!!
It is _confused_ with the Lopik broadcast tower. Lopik had a medium wave broadcast tower, which was demolished in 2015.
You're right, I stand corrected!
If the weather is right you can see it from Gouda if you know where to look! I lived in Vianen (a town south of Ijsselstein) the tree could be seen from our street!
I remember seeing it, driving home (Utrecht area) from Rotterdam round about Gouda. That must be at least 30km, I think
We dutchies need this big tree, because we are so tall, other trees just wont do
This made me laugh out loud, repeatedly. Tim, whatever you celebrate this time of year, I hope you enjoy it.
@The Tim Traveller
I used to visit people with an apartment on the other side of Utrecht from Lopik/IJsselstein, which must have been about 20 kilometers away.
Even at that distance it was actually quite prominent, easily visible in clear weather and of course when lit up it was easily visible from much further away..
given you're on whatever floor you need to be on to look over that far :)
Sightlines being a real problem at these distances, as one might imagine.
I've spotted this tree numerous times from the 'polders' near Sliedrecht, some 28Km's away... :-)
Dutch viewer and you can probably see it from much further away, but I really liked seeing it from the A27 (Lexmond and Lekbrug), about 2km away.
You can also see it from high spots in the center in Utrecht, so that has to include the Dom (although I've not been up there to witness, have seen it from a different tower) but at that distance it is less of a landmark. You can see it but it doesn't stand out. I like it better when you're a bit closer than that - and yet not too close as when I went past it on the ground it was much less impressive.
Also - you were in Utrecht! Didn't know. Can we lure you back? Did you get other interesting things here?
I would recommend to view it from the roof of the Neudeflat, that way you won't see the ugliest building in Utrecht (the Neudeflat).
Hi Tim, love your videos.
I work near IJsselstein in Oudewater and I can see the Christmas tree, which us about 20km away.
What a wonderful Christmas present! A new video from you! Thank you! ❤
As a Dutchie i can see the tower on my way home when i cross the Amstel River..according to Google maps that's 30 km as the crow flies.
I was so amazed that i could see it from Dordrecht. Its not super huge from there, but you can definitely recognize the shape. Its like a 45 minute drive away
So weird to see a video on your channel from the place where I live! Depending on where you're at you can see the "tree" from quite far away. My parents live 35 km from the tower and it is still clearly visible when standing in the open field
I used to live in Benschop, about 5 kilometers away of IJsselstein. Growing up I could see the 'tree' from my bedroom window. Seeing it now when I visit my parents or in-laws (who both still live there) feels very nostalgic.
Furthest away I have been able to clearly see it is from Hilversum, some 31 kilometers away. On clear nights you can probably see it from even further away than that.
Merry Christmas The Tim Traveller :)
I can see it very clearly from my house right now in Gouda, about 23km away! And I take that same tram every day from Utrecht CS to the university so it's very cool to see you riding it. Come visit Gouda sometime, we have lots of cheese and the original stroopwafels for you!
I've been able to see it (with clear sky and not the foggy sky of last days, then you can only see the bottom half) from at least, Houten, Vianen, Everdingen, Asperen, Gorinchem, Zaltbommel, Brakel, Woudrichem, Sleeuwijk, and probably some more places I can't remember right now.
That cheered me up!!
I remember as a kid driving past it on the road each year when wed visit nearby family. Its an impressive sight
You can see it, at streetlevel, from the outskirts of Alphen aan den Rijn, about 29km away.
Ah yes, finally a video on this one :) I can see this tree from my office window at utrecht university!
Last week we drove back home in Utrecht from Amsterdam, and could see it within just a few minutes of leaving the city.
It's sometimes difficult to see the IJsselstein Christmas Tree Mast, because it gets easily blocked by our mountains as you know 😊
I think I can see it already when I cross the Waal some 30km to the south-east.
No way you pulled up to Ijsselstein, so weird seeing de kerstboom on your channel after following you for so long