Annaberger Kät
The Annaberger Kät (generally simply called Kät ) is the largest folk festival in the Ore Mountains and takes place every fortnight after Pentecost in Annaberg-Buchholz . It is one of the folk festivals in Germany where over 100 showmen present their businesses.
The Kät is known far beyond the region and is one of the oldest folk festivals in Germany. Hundreds of thousands visit the Kät every year. The characteristics of the festival are shaped by gastronomy as well as by showmen and rides .
The venue is Kätplatz in the east of Annaberg-Buchholz, which is right next to the Annaberg-Buchholz Festival Hall , between Robert-Blum-Strasse and Ernst-Roch-Strasse.
history
The Annaberger Kät has been taking place since 1520. The original pilgrimage to Saint Trinity was initiated by Duke George the Bearded in 1519 . The occasion was the consecration of the cemetery with holy earth from Campo Santo in Rome and the consecration of the adjacent hospital church to the Trinity . After the introduction of the Reformation (1539) it had the character of an evangelical festival of the dead and later that of a folk festival. The festival always takes place two weeks after Pentecost. Over the centuries, the name “ Trinitatisfest ” (which was more like a weekly market ) or the German “Dreifaltigkeitsfest” became “Dreifaldichkat” in the Erzgebirge dialect and finally just “Kat”. In the Meissnian-Saxon dialect it is “Kät” or “Kaat”. Other views are based on the abbreviation "Kat" for Katharina ( Buchholz am Katharinenberg or St. Katharinenberg im Buchholz ). The city coat of arms of Buchholz showed Saint Catherine with a sword and a broken wheel, as well as small beeches and the mining scene that was decisive for the founding of the city.
Over the years, the space at the Trinity Church became too small and the festival was moved to the neighboring Geyersdorfer Straße in 1827. In 1869 the company moved to the old Schützenwiese (today Kätplatz), today directly on the B 95 , between the city and the Pöhlberg . From the once typical Erzgebirge folk festival u. a. with barrel cake, bratwurst bell, hippodrome, crinoline, chain carousel, air swing, blow the Lukas, wheel of fortune, puppet theater, flea circus, lady without belly, Welsch ice cream or fried fish rolls (dipped in fish broth) at Fisch-Bushmann, is a modern hype with loud, fast and expensive rides that are interchangeable with similar events in Germany.
The Kät still lasts nine days and always begins on the 2nd Saturday after Pentecost with a church service (only since 1990), rifle parade and the opening of the festival area. The day before, the mayor invited the residents and the showmen to a so-called "KÄT-Ball", at which she thanked the citizens in advance for their understanding during the loud KÄT week ahead and wishes the showmen good business. A KÄT specialty: the drinks and meals are to be paid for by the invited guests themselves. After having had very bad experiences with admission fees from the Annaberg-Buchholz city administration in terms of visitor numbers, admission is now free again. In addition, it is successfully advertised for more visitors with parking spaces in the area and free shuttle bus service.
Ladies night has been taking place on Mondays for a number of years - with discounts in many rides and in the food stands, and for women and "everyone who looks like this ...". On Wednesday, which is declared a family day, there are generally reduced prices in all rides. On Thursday mornings, people with disabilities have the opportunity to try out rides free of charge for two hours. The highlights are the nights on Friday and Saturday. On the Saturday evening of the closing weekend, the big Kät fireworks traditionally take place at 10:30 p.m. on the slope of the Pöhlberg.
To mark the 500th anniversary gave German Post AG with the Initial Issue 4 June 2020 a special stamp in the denomination out of 95 euro cents. The design comes from the graphic artists 2xGoldstein from Rheinstetten .
literature
- Helmut Brückner: Pilgrimage to the folk festival: The long history of the "Annaberger Kät" . Mildenau 2020, ISBN 978-3-95915-064-4 .
Web links
- http://www.annaberg-buchholz.de - Official website of the city of Annaberg-Buchholz with information about the Kät
- The "Kät" in grandfather's time. (Illustrated Erzgebirgisches Sonntagsblatt, Volume 127, No. 22, May 27, 1934, p. 1) (accessed March 1, 2015)
Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 39.7 " N , 13 ° 0 ′ 46.4" E