Mühlviertel Exhibition Center

Logo of the fair

The Mühlviertel trade fair took place for the first time in 1862, making it the oldest trade fair in Upper Austria . Until 2013, the fair took place in Freistadt ( Mühlviertel ) every year in mid-August .

history

The citizens of Freistadt developed initiatives against the economic decline after the loss of privileges after the Thirty Years War . In addition, with the Linz-Budweis horse-drawn railway, the salt trade no longer touched the city, which then continued to lose economic importance.

The upswing should not be made possible through privileges and subsidies , but through own ideas. Agriculture and trade were promoted, and performance increased through competition. This was reflected in the first exhibition of the Obderennsische Landwirtschaftsgesellschaft. The year 1862 was the hour of birth for the Freistädter Messe (today: Messe Mühlviertel). The year 1931 is considered a milestone for the fair, the exhibition at that time had an impact far beyond the country's borders and laid the foundation for today's Mühlviertel fair. In the beginning the fair was held every four years and until 2007 every two years in August.

In 2007 and 2008, the fair was organized by Eco Messen GmbH in September, and since 2009 by the fair organizer Konvers Marketing GmbH . With the new trade fair organizer, the fair was moved back to the original date in mid-August and the fair changed into a folk festival.

2009 to 2013

General plan up to 2008 (today without H10 & H11)

From 2009 to 2013, the Mühlviertel trade fair was the largest and most important event in Freistadt and known far beyond the city's borders. In 2010 around 40,000 guests from the Mühlviertel, the central area, from neighboring Lower Austria and from the Bavarian and South Bohemian region visited the fair. Around 200 exhibitors present their products on around 20,000 square meters of exhibition space. In addition to the eight exhibition halls and the outdoor area, an amusement park is available. All eight exhibition halls are built as a fixed construction and will be used for other purposes during the non-exhibition period. Only the gastro hall ( marquee ) will only be set up for the duration of the fair.

Main topics

The exhibitors presented products from the following areas (as of 2010):

building and living
Save energy
health & Wellness
household
Agriculture
Enjoyment & gourmet
Fashion - traditional costume fashion
Crafts - handicrafts

Exhibition hall

Exhibition hall - exterior view

Exhibition hall - interior view

The centerpiece of the Mühlviertel trade fair was the exhibition hall built in 2003 (H1 in the overview plan). The oval hall, which was built entirely in wood, offers up to 6000 standing places or 3000 seats on 3173 square meters. In addition to the trade fair, other exhibitions, balls and music events take place there.

Location and duration

The exhibition grounds are to the west of Linzer Straße ( B 310 ) between the exhibition hall in the south and the elementary school or Stifterplatz in the north.

opening hours

The mass lasted four days, from Thursday to Sunday. The exhibition was open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the amusement park and the catering area were open from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the following day. The folk festival could be visited with free admission.