Donkey skin proof
The Eselshautfest , a wine festival with historical reference, takes place every summer in the winegrowing village of Mußbach an der Weinstrasse , which is now part of the Palatinate town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse ( Rhineland-Palatinate ). The event site is located in the listed manor house, which has been in operation for more than 1300 years . This is the oldest winery in the Palatinate , possibly all of Germany, and was first mentioned in the 7th century.
history
Wine festival
In order after the incorporation in 1969 within the city's profile as viticulture to preserve community, the relatively small with time 3500 (and now well 4000) inhabitants the district in the 1970s called the Eselshaut hard as a wine festival with a historical reference to life. The name was carefully borrowed from the Mußbacher Eselshaut , the most important local vineyard for local winemakers .
The new festival was as popular as the organizers had hoped for; As early as the early 1990s, it was replaced by the parish fair in August, called Kerwe here , as the largest local event and gained national importance . According to the local administration, around 10,000 visitors are counted on each of the six festival evenings. This means that the number of people in the town will temporarily almost quadruple, and the festival area will reach the limit of its capacity.
Historic fairground
Since the Eselshautfest, given the local conditions - the old town center has only been preserved to a small extent as a result of the war-related destruction that took place in 1621 ( Thirty Years' War ) and 1689 ( Palatinate War of Succession ) - should not be a street festival, it was recommended for the event of the Herrenhof. As a listed building ensemble, it is located in today's center of Mußbach between the old and new Johanneskirche . The street An der Eselshaut , the former Mußbacher Hauptstraße , runs 70 meters north of the courtyard entrance , while the courtyard area borders on the 1.5 hectare Mußbacher Johannitergarten vineyard in the south , which is part of the entire Herrenhof area. The extensive inner courtyard around the medieval fountain in the middle of the historical buildings became a festival area. The entire open space is almost 10,000 m²; Their usable paved parts are smaller, however, the unpaved area in between is covered with old park trees.
Historical reference
The Hofgut was first mentioned in a document in the 7th century and has been operated as a winery ever since, today under the name Staatsweingut mit Johannitergut . In 1621, in the third year of the Thirty Years' War, and in 1689, during the War of the Palatinate Succession, large parts of the estate were destroyed by fire or badly damaged. Since the completion of the restoration (1991) the buildings and inner courtyard of the city of Neustadt and its district Mußbach have served as a cultural center ; In the northwest of the courtyard is the Grain Box Wine Museum .
In 1290 the Ministeriale Werner, Schenk von Ramberg , had transferred the property to the Order of St. John , whose part that remained with the Catholic Church after the Reformation was renamed the Order of Malta in 1530 . After the spiritual masters of the Order - as at that time the members of the were clergy popularly known - is the investment manor today. In the Middle Ages it was under the protection of the Electors of the Palatinate . That is why every summer the officials of the electoral high office were invited to the Hofgut, where a party with lavish hospitality and subsequent amusement was given in their honor.
Those responsible followed up on this tradition with the donkey skin festival. In addition, in reminiscence of the fact that the monastery courtyard was an event for the secular authorities, an ecumenical service is celebrated in the open air on the final Sunday.
Catchment area
Behind major events such as the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt and the German Wine Festival , the Eselshautfest is one of those wine festivals in the Palatinate whose visitors come not only from this region, but also primarily from Rheinhessen , the Hessian - Baden Rhine - Neckar region and the French northern Alsace . Comparable folk festivals in the Vorderpfalz , often with historical bases, are z. B. the almond blossom festival in Mußbach's neighboring district of Gimmeldingen , the billy goat auction in Deidesheim , the city wall festival in Freinsheim or the Kändelgasse festival in Großkarlbach .
procedure
The donkey skin festival takes place on two weekends at the end of June / beginning of July and lasts from Friday to Sunday. It begins on the first Friday with a parade through the town. A “village bailiff” in medieval costumes and the traditional costume group Mußbach lead the local mascot as his entourage, a living donkey to which a 50-liter wine barrel is strapped. Solemnly through the Renaissance are conducted portal to the Gentlemen at the end of the parade, the main operating figures for serving the feast that Zäppler . This is a Palatine dialect expression for those people who tap the wine . The opening is carried out by guests of honor changing every year, e.g. B. by the Palatinate Wine Queen ; then the wine brought by the donkey is served free of charge in small tasting glasses .
There are no rides and no other hype besides music ; the music comes from changing groups or solo entertainers . A good 1,600 seats can be provided on the fairground, some of which are in tents and some outdoors; If you are not successful in finding a seat, you can place a glass or plate on one of the wooden wine barrels used in the manner of bistro tables and eat and drink while standing. The wine and everything that is offered for consumption must come from local associations or businesses, the provision of food and drinks by non-residents is not permitted.
Web links
- Eselshautfest , organizer website with program overview, updated only for the holidays
Individual evidence
- ↑ General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate: Informational directory of cultural monuments: Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (PDF; 4.9 MB).
- ↑ a b Otto Sartorius : Mussbach . The story of a wine village. Historical Association of the Palatinate, Speyer 1959.
- ↑ pfalz.de: Wine Festival Calendar (Archive 2008).
- ↑ Information from the Mußbach local authority: visitor numbers (Mayor Klaus Kerth, June 2008 and May 2009).
- ↑ Operator website : State winery with Johannitergut .
- ↑ Touristinfo Neustadt an der Weinstrasse: Wine festivals in summer ( Memento of the original from March 26th, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (2008).
- ↑ suedpfalz.city-tiger.de: Eselshautfest (2008).
