King Ludwig fire
The King Ludwig Fire is a traditional bonfire that is lit annually in the Upper Bavarian municipality of Oberammergau on August 24, the eve of King Ludwig II's birthday . The custom has been going on since 1888, two years after King Ludwig's death.
As part of the memorial ceremony, fires are lit on the mountain peaks around the town after dark. The center of the event is Oberammergau's local mountain, the Kofel . There, eleven large piles of wood are arranged on the Kofelfleck in such a way that a large cross of fire becomes visible after they are lit A royal crown about eight meters high is burned on the summit. Other peaks and places where wood and torch fires burn (in the form of stacks of wood, crosses and the initials "L" and "II") are: Wiesmahd, Hebamsberg, Rappenkopf, Laberköpferl, Laber and Aufacker. A fire also burns at the Notkarspitze, but it is not officially counted as part of the Ludwig fires.
The fires are lit around 9:00 p.m. While the fire is burning, a brass band on the Kofelfleck plays the Bavarian anthem, among other things . Flares are repeatedly shot from all fire places, bathing the peaks and rock faces in colored light.
While the fires slowly go out, the fire makers pull back into the village with torches from the individual fire places. After their arrival there, the march of the fire makers will take place from around 11 p.m. with a brass band.
Pawn rule
Traditionally, the beginning of autumn is associated with the Ludwig fire in Oberammergau.
