Beerfelder horse, foal and breeding cattle market
The Beerfelder horse, foal and breeding cattle market is a folk festival in the Hessian town of Beerfelden , which has been held on the weekend of the second Sunday in July since 1901. Besides the Erbacher Wiesenmarkt , it is the most important folk festival in the Odenwald . The breeding cattle show on Monday is the largest animal show in Hesse with a cattle drive of over 400 farm animals, in particular cattle of various races, horses, sheep, goats, alpacas and poultry. The evaluations of the animals are still an important yardstick for the breeding success of the individual breeders. In the past, sales were actually carried out, but today the cattle show is a pure show market and is considered the "shop window" of agriculture in southern Hesse.
The market rights dates back to the 1328 securitized city charter back to keep in Beerfelden market. However, the markets of the time cannot be documented precisely, the prosperity at the beginning of the Thirty Years War , especially of the farmers and craftsmen in Beerfeld, suggests that the sales and trading opportunities on the markets made a significant contribution to this. In order to prevent epidemics, the "Livestock Market Regulations of March 21, 1788" were issued. In 1802, Count Christian Karl issued the "Hochgräfliche Erbach -Fürstenauische Marktordnung für Beerfelden / Amt Freienstein", in which demurrage, purchase price, types of money and other things were set in order to avoid disputes that arose again and again in the cattle trade.
In a meeting on November 10, 1900, the redesign of the market was decided, which should be carried out in a larger framework and with a more festive character. The first market of this new kind took place on July 29, 1901, when 230 horses and foals, 200 head of cattle and 35 pigs were found. The market used to take place in the inner city area, with the rides at Martinskirche and the cattle market at the “Zum Schützenhof” inn. In 1958 the market was held in the city center for the last time and, for traffic-related reasons, moved to the market and sports center "Stried" from 1959, where it is still held today. In 2020, the market will fail for the second time in its history due to the corona virus, and it did not take place in 1920 because of the foot-and-mouth disease.
A large amusement park as well as dressage and show jumping tournaments up to class S form the further framework of the traditional folk festival. Professional riders from Germany and abroad take part in the nationally known tournaments. Flat races were also held up to 1958 and carriage races were held until 1963.
Web links
- Beerfelder horse market - further information on the homepage of the city of Oberzent
Individual evidence
- ↑ Beerfelden: The horse, foal and breeding cattle market on the 2nd Sunday and Monday in July. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. (As of October 2017). In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).