Kreuznacher fair
Coordinates: 49 ° 51 ′ 7 ″ N , 7 ° 52 ′ 1 ″ E
The Kreuznach annual market is a traditional folk festival in Bad Kreuznach that begins every year on the third Friday in August and lasts until the following Tuesday. The Kreuznach annual market is the largest in terms of area and, in terms of visitor numbers, the third largest festival in Rhineland-Palatinate after the Worms Backfischfest and the Dürkheim sausage market . The fair counts over 500,000 visitors over the five days on the 63,000 square meter festival area “Pfingstwiese”. In addition to the dealers with different products, the focus of the market today is on show, drive and entertainment businesses as well as gastronomy. The market is open daily until 3 am and offers traditionally on Tuesday at 22 o'clock a 20-minute fireworks display .
Modern rides as well as traditional attractions such as the Ferris wheel and chain carousel are regularly part of the showmen's line-up, but also ball and arrow-throwing cars. As is typical of the fair, there are still snack, bar and confectionery stands of all kinds.
Historical
| useful information | |
|---|---|
| Last fair | 16. – 20. August 2019 |
| place | Pentecost meadow |
| For the first time | 19. – 21. August 1810 |
| size | 62,000 m² |
| Visitors | approx. 500,000 |
| Duration | 5 days |
| Feeder | approx. 200 |
| anniversary | 200 years (2010) |
| motto | "Nothing like enunner!" |
Already in the Middle Ages, Emperor Charles IV in 1361 and King Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1418 granted fair privileges for Kreuznach. The 14-day fair received the rights of the Frankfurt fair , began on the Sunday after Pentecost ( Trinity ) and was called " May Fair "; the name “Pfingstwiese” for the fair has been preserved to this day. In 1490, Elector Philip the Sincere and Duke Johann I von Pfalz-Simmern approved a second annual 14-day fair, the “ Elisabeth Mass ” after November 19th. However, the tradition of the late medieval sales fairs fell asleep over time.
The first Kreuznach fair of the new count took place from August 19 to 21, 1810 , when the city belonged to the First French Empire . The date of the market was set for the Sunday after the birthday of Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte ( August 15 ) and lasted until the following Tuesday. Following the medieval tradition, the market was held on the Pfingstwiese outside the city. The market area covered around 23,000 square meters. In the early days of the fair, it mostly consisted of gastronomy and cattle markets. In the course of time, however, other traders of different goods were added, such as the "Barmer Spitzentante", who was present at every fair for several generations from 1881, for how long is not known. Over the years and decades, however, the Kreuznacher fair developed more and more into a market for amusements in which the goods have moved into the background.
Where until around 50 years ago there were still variety companies that entertained people with bizarre things like the "woman without a belly" and the like, there are more and more rides of the latest generations today. Thus, in the 200-year history of the Bad Kreuznacher fair, technical progress can also be clearly observed.
Until 1978 the fair could be reached on foot over the wooden "nickel bridge", which was built over the Nahe every year especially for the fair. After the end of the fair, the bridge was dismantled and stored in the Salinental. Whoever wanted to cross the bridge had to pay 10 pfennigs and later 20 pfennigs "bridge money". However, some visitors saved the money and waded through the Nahe, which is shallow in summer.
The unofficial opening of the fair has been on Thursdays since the early 1990s. On this day, all food stands are open, but the rides are still closed. Many visitors are already using this day for a tour of the festival area. There is also a showman service on this day.
On the evening of August 20, 2011, the Kreuznach fair was interrupted for the first time in its history due to a bomb threat . The entire fairground was cleared within an hour by a large contingent of police officers. Among other things, people were asked to leave the square via loudspeakers. The entire area was closed. In addition, numerous fire and rescue workers were on site. According to a spokesman for the Mainz police headquarters, up to 50,000 people were affected. The fair was not opened again until the following Sunday morning.
The Kreuznach fair, scheduled for August 21-25 , 2020, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany .
Designation of the streets and squares
In 1973, a raffle was held to determine 16 street names for the alleys between the showmen and traders, which have since been marked year after year by street signs specially built for the fair. Based on the traders resident in the individual alleys and squares and their goods (e.g. cotton gass: traders who sell cotton products) or on social events (Sprichklopperstroß, Schmusweid), each street and square was given a humorous name. The street names are as follows:
- At the Dippemarkt
- Cotton gas
- Brulljesmacherstroß
- Cellemochumer Stroß
- Debedeedamm
- Jakob-Thon-Stroß
- Johrmarktsbrick
- Washing clothes
- Luftkutscherplatz
- Napoleon's streak
- Nix-wie-enunner-Stroß
- Schmusweid
- Schoppestecherstroß
- Specialist way
- Proverbial bunch
- Strunzereck.
In 2007 the square in front of the Ferris wheel was given its own name and has been called since then
- "Himmelsguckerplatz".
Regular feeders
Many showmen and traders regularly set up their tents, stalls and rides at the Kreuznach fair.
Companies and families
- Company W. Rohleder for over 100 years (previously Go Gart Bahn and now Time Bingo)
- Renate Mönnig company (shooting car) for over 50 years
- Family Grell-Käupel (floors Cafe Grell)
- Kehrein family (Kehrein festival tents)
- Family Ahrend (Vesperhaus)
- Heinert family (fish specialties)
- Family Krug (Pizza Krug)
- Hugo Levy family (Las Vegas ball throw)
- Modes family (carousel / baby flight)
- Nagel family (Wurzelsepp)
- Malfertheiner family (Kentucky Derby, Desert Derby)
- Family Rosskopf, Goswin (Cadillac-Treff / bumper cars / shooting car)
- Family K. Peter, Speyer / Nickel ( Wellenflug )
- Family Kipp and Son (Europarad)
- Family Spangenberger (Breakdance No. 1, Magic, Taiga Jet, Musik Express 3000)
- Family Bügler (pony riding, Bavarian rocker / disco fever, joker)
- The Ruppert family (take off, flying carpet, * casino * slot machine game)
- Family Kinzler (Breakdance No. 2, Revolution, Wilde Maus)
The selection of the stands, tents and attractions is the responsibility of the “Fun Market Committee” of the Bad Kreuznach City Council, which can only consider around 20% of the applications annually. Membership in this committee is usually only given to senior council members.
Impressions
Animation of the construction
Wellenflug chain carousel
Himmelsguckerplatz
Partial overview 2006
literature
- City of Bad Kreuznach (Ed.): 200 years of the Bad Kreuznach fair. History & Stories, Verlag Matthias Ess 2010. ISBN 978-3935516-58-7
