동백꽃 — The camellia

동백꽃 is the flower of Jeju. What sets it apart is the timing: it blooms from November to March, exactly when almost nothing else does. While the rest of Korea lies in winter, the island’s woods stand full of red blossoms. Camellia Hill in the south is the largest camellia arboretum in Asia.

The second thing is how it ends. The camellia does not wither on the branch, petal by petal. It comes away as a whole flower and falls while still open — under a camellia tree the ground lies covered in whole blossoms. That is why in Korea it stands for faithfulness, and for not giving in when it turns cold.

We made it the emblem of this place because it stands for the island the place is named after. In Korea, Jeju is where you go: for good food, for warmth, for a few days away from everything. The camellia is the most visible part of that — and the best reason to bring it with us to Freiburg.