101 at Grüne Woche and already making plans for next year

When Ingeborg Wegner was born, Grüne Woche did not yet exist. You may need to read that sentence twice. Visitors to the lovingly designed exhibition “100 Years of Grüne Woche” in Hall 26a will gain an insight into the comprehensive history of the trade fair. And then there is this wiry lady with sparkling eyes who—relaxed and without needing her walker—poses for photos in front of the tulip bed in the flower hall and looks back on even more years of life than Grüne Woche itself.

With her mother in the flower hall - a tradition spanning generations

Ingeborg Wegner was born in 1924. She will be 102 years old in the summer and has already been to the Grüne Woche with her mother. “My mother loved the flower hall. She always stocked up on flower bulbs, seeds, and plant care products there. And she enjoyed listening to the lectures on gardening and plant care,” says Ingeborg. That's why her tour of the fair on Thursday also starts in the flower hall.

The 101-year-old Charlottenburg resident asks lots of questions about plants and watering, and remembers that it was once so cold that she had to wrap the exotic flowers she bought at Grüne Woche in newspaper so that they would survive the journey home. After the flower hall, the plan is to go to the market hall for street food, but Ingeborg Wegner has spontaneously changed her mind: “Would it be possible to see the animal hall?” she asks.

Between the animal hall and Berlin currywurst

Daughter Kathrin Rode, who accompanies her mother on the tour, smiles. "We used to come here often as a family. I always went to the animal hall, Grandma to the flower hall, and my mother to the food hall,“ says Kathrin Rhode. In the animal hall, Ingeborg Wegner enjoys the little black sheep, marvels at the size of a sturdy mule, and says dryly when she sees two donkeys: ”Oh, they're cute. I've seen quite a few two-legged donkeys in my life."

We continue on to the Berlin Hall. There, Ingeborg Wegner talks about her job as an executive secretary at Gewobag. “I always enjoyed working. But I would have liked to have had a side job like this at the trade fair,” she says. When asked who would like a currywurst, the 101-year-old raises her arm with a shy grin. “I eat everything. Unfortunately, I like everything. And when someone asks me if I want anything else, I always want something else,” she says. After the currywurst from Curry 36, she tries the colorfully decorated cupcakes from Tigertörtchen and enjoys an espresso.

Top quality from Holland – and a good reason to keep living

During the tour, she tells a very personal trade fair story: “Oh please don't,” says daughter Kathrin Rohde, turning away laughing and blushing slightly. But Mama Ingeborg is not to be stopped. She recounts how she walked past the Dutch stand with Kathrin, who was four years old at the time. Dancers in traditional costumes, with lace bonnets and the famous clogs on their feet, promoted local products by swinging their skirts back and forth and singing: “Top quality from Holland!”

Ingeborg laughs. “In the evening, Kathrin stood in the bathtub, wiggling back and forth and singing, ‘Top quality from Holland.’” This saying became a catchphrase in the family and was always sung when someone encountered something that came from the Netherlands. After this story, a visit to Hall 18 should actually follow, but time is running out and Ingeborg Wegner says: “That's enough for now. I'll save the Holland Hall for next year. One more reason for me to live another year.”