Annakirmes

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The Annakirmes is a folk festival that takes place annually from the end of July to the beginning of August in Düren , North Rhine-Westphalia . The Annakirmes is one of the most famous large folk festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of the largest folk festivals in the whole of Germany. Annakirmes is visited by almost a million people every year.

Annakirmes 2014 u. a. with the "Star-Flyer", "Sky-Fall" rides, the 55-meter-high Europarad and the "Olympia Looping" - the largest traveling roller coaster in the world.

history

The Annakirmes in 1892

The history of the Düren Annakirmes is closely linked to the veneration of St. Anna in Düren and can be traced back to the year 1501, when the Annahaupt was brought via detours from Mainz to Düren and was worshiped there for the first time. The ever-growing pilgrimage festival also attracted the first traveling traders, so that a one-day market developed. In 1729 the Anna market was extended to three days and in 1817 to eight days. In the course of time, showmen and their attractions joined the market, and the festival became more and more of a folk festival . Until 1891, the Annakirmes took place on the Eisenbahnplatz, today's Langemarckpark between Gutenbergstrasse and Josef-Schregel-Strasse . The fair ran through the streets of the city center. There should have been up to 200 dealers. From 1890 to 1894 there was a horse carousel on the cattle market, today's Kaiserplatz , which you could ride on for two pfennigs . On Altenteich stood at the Annasäule the Cologne Original Hänneschen Theater . In a letter dated February 22, 1892, the residents of Eisenbahnstrasse, today Josef-Schregel-Strasse, turned to Mayor Hubert Werners against the noise of the fair. In the past, many attractions were moved by muscle power or horses, afterwards steam engines were used, which made a lot more noise, especially the high-pitched steam whistles and the steam-powered organs . There were always complaints from residents on the other streets. By resolution of the city council on April 28, 1892, the Annakirmes was relocated to the Am alten Wasserturm (today's Annakirmes-Platz) in Aachener Strasse , where it still takes place today. The fair stayed in the inner city streets. However, severe spatial restrictions were imposed. Today, the latest fairground rides and fairground attractions provide a thrill on the large Annakirmesplatz .

Regular events

Panorama of the Annakirmes 2001

During the nine-day Anna fair, several events take place in the marquee or in the immediate vicinity of the fairground. Over the years, a regular sequence has emerged so that the events are always assigned to a fixed weekday.

  • On the opening day of the Annakirmes (Saturday) the world championship in cherry stone spitting will be held in the afternoon on the dog sports field . The competition, which arose after the 1974 World Cup , attracts participants from all over Germany and Switzerland.
  • Tuesday is Anna's family day. Then there are half prices for the rides and discounts at the other showmen.
  • On Wednesday and Thursday there are two senior afternoons for older visitors. Musicians from the genres of hits and folk music perform in the marquee.
  • In addition, musicians and dance groups create a carnival atmosphere on the Rhenish evening on Wednesday .
  • Thursday is also celebrated as a guest day. The incumbent mayor of Düren invites guests from politics, business and associations to the fair.
  • On Friday evening, the showmen thank the visitors of the Annakirmes with fireworks over the fairground.

Young women were for many years the pageant on. Until 2011 the Miss Annakirmes was elected every year. In 2013 and 2014, the Miss Germany Corporation made a preliminary decision for the Miss Düren title. The winner later has the chance to become Miss Germany . The first winner of the new contest in 2013 was Karoline Werner. In 2014 Vivien Goumans, the runner-up from the previous year, won the title. In 2015, the contest was canceled due to insufficient participation.

In addition to the fair bustle found in the Dürener Annakirche the Annaoktav place, in which pilgrims and faithful to watch the Anna Haupt.

organization

Olympia looping at the Annakirmes 2004
"Power Tower 2" and "Europarad" at the Annakirmes 2006

The Annakirmes usually begins on the Saturday after July 26th, Annentag . If this date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the fair begins on that weekend. It lasts nine days and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. or 2 a.m., before ending at midnight on the second Sunday.

The venue is a place named after her in the south of the city of Düren. The approximately 50,000 square meter site is located between Aachener Strasse , Langenberger Strasse and Rurdammweg. On the Düren – Heimbach railway line there is the Düren Annakirmesplatz , which has a high number of passengers at the right time.

Around 160 to 170 different tradesmen from all over Germany are represented at the Annakirmes every year. During the planning phase, the organizer - the city of Düren - receives around 1000 applications for a stand every year. The organization of the Annakirmes is headed by an employee of the municipal surveying office , who is also known in public as the “Kirmesdirektor” or “Platzmeister” because of this function. After the Second World War, Hans Zens took over this task. From 1989 until his death in 2009, Max Röntgen was the site master of the Annakirmes. His successor was Achim Greiff, who is still active today.

Some attractions, such as the Kipp family's ferris wheel , are (almost) every year at the Annakirmes and have a traditional location on the fairgrounds. Some gastronomic establishments, such as the “Brauweilers Max”, the “Old English Pub” or the “Dürener Treff”, which emerged from a former pub, are also regular showmen at the Annakirmes.

Special occurrences

Anniversary 375 years Annakirmes

In 2013, the 375th birthday of the Annakirmes was celebrated in Düren. On this occasion, a few weeks before the actual Anna fair, a historical fair with old rides and other attractions took place on the square in front of the Leopold Hoesch Museum . There was also a historic parade through the city.

Premiere of the roller coaster "Super Spirale"

In 1978 the roller coaster "Super Spirale" was completed by Vekoma and sold to the showmen Fritz Kinzler and Oskar Bruch as a transportable roller coaster. It contained the special elements “double corkscrew” and “Bayerncurve” - the premiere was in 1979 at the Annakirmes in Düren. After this premiere, it should be shown that this should be the only operation as a transportable fairground rollercoaster: The rollercoaster was then sold to the Traumlandpark and operated there as a permanently installed rollercoaster. Today it is in operation at Playland Amusement Park in Vancouver, Canada.

Annafest in other regions

literature

  • Hans Zens , Rudi Böhmer: People, stalls, attractions - 350 years of Annakirmes in Düren 1638–1988 . Hahne-Schloemer-Verlag, Düren 1988 ( PDF; 18 MB )
  • Max Röntgenz, When the Annakirmes had to move , Yearbook of the District of Düren 1998, pp. 27 to 33, ISBN 3-927312-25-8

Web links

Commons : Annakirmes  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.annakirmes.de/veranstaltungenanna/veranstaltungskalender/ (link not available)
  2. ↑ Annakirmes: Who will be Miss Düren? Aachener Nachrichten, June 28, 2013, accessed on July 26, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Karoline Werner is the new Miss Düren. Aachener Zeitung, July 30, 2013, accessed on July 26, 2014 .
  4. ↑ The new Miss Düren is called Vivien. Aachener Zeitung, July 29, 2014, accessed on July 29, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Too few spectators: No more voting. Aachener Zeitung, accessed on August 2, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Dates of the Annakirmes
  7. ↑ Opening times of the Annakirmes
  8. ↑ Max Röntz - "mayor of the fair city." (No longer available online.) City of Düren, July 12, 2010, archived from the original on August 8, 2014 ; Retrieved July 26, 2014 .
  9. ↑ Annakirmes: Nobody knows the hype like site manager Achim Greiff. Aachener Nachrichten, July 17, 2014, accessed on July 26, 2014 .
  10. ↑ Attractions of the Annakirmes ( Memento from August 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ^ "Brauweiler´s Max": Resurrection of a Düren cult bar. Dürener Zeitung, July 22, 2008, accessed on July 26, 2014 .
  12. ↑ Historical hype for the Annakirmes anniversary. Aachener Nachrichten, June 14, 2013, accessed on July 26, 2014 .
  13. ↑ Annakirmes: Thousands of spectators at the historical pageant. Aachener Nachrichten, July 28, 2013, accessed on July 26, 2014 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '46 "  N , 6 ° 28' 43"  E