Right in front of you, look for a cluster of five dark grey metal pillars cut into quirky human silhouettes, each topped with a traditional glass-paneled lantern head. You have just stumbled into the local neighborhood gossip circle. These are the Talking Lanterns of Celle.
If you step right into the middle of this little metal family, you will trigger their motion sensors. Suddenly, they come alive, sharing anecdotes, cracking jokes, or bickering with each other. It is totally random what you get.
Take a close look at their shapes. You have slightly stooped Grandma Lilo, her little grandson Jonas, the tall and lanky Olli, the perfectly straight Mr. Westphal, and the rather stout Gerlach. They are not just random pieces of metal. Hildesheim light designers Matthias Schiminski and Peter Schmitz created them to celebrate the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Celle getting its first public gas lanterns. The shape of the actual lamp heads on top is a nod to those original nineteenth century designs.
But it is the voices that really give them soul. The city brought in local celebrities and voice actors to bring this family to life. For instance, the stout lantern, Gerlach, is voiced by the German voice actor for the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. When they speak, their glass heads flicker in rhythm with the words, almost like they are breathing.
And here is the coolest part. While they usually play pre-recorded tracks, there is a built-in microphone and radio system. During special events, a real person can hide nearby and talk through the lanterns, having live, real-time conversations with surprised folks walking by. They first pulled that trick during a Santa Claus championship here in two thousand and eight.
Just keep in mind that they operate on standard daytime retail hours with a midday break, eventually switching to short evening greetings before shutting down overnight. Hang out with this glowing family as long as you like. When you are ready for a change of scenery, we can head over to our next stop.
