Gäuboden folk festival
The Gäubodenvolksfest (in short: Gäubodenfest ) in Straubing is one of the largest folk festivals in Bavaria .
Although, in contrast to the Munich Oktoberfest, you mostly meet local visitors, every year over a million (approx. 1.4 million, as of 2019) visitors visit the event that takes place on the Am Hagen festival square in Straubing. The East Bavarian Show has been running parallel to the Gäubodenvolksfest since the middle of the 20th century . With 450,000 visitors annually, it is one of the most important and successful consumer exhibitions in Bavaria. The name is derived from the Gäuboden , a geographically only roughly defined area, in the center of which Straubing is located. The Gäubodenvolksfest always begins on the Friday before the second Saturday in August and lasts 11 days. Both events are planned and carried out by Straubing Exhibition and Event GmbH.
history
The beginning as an agricultural festival
In 1812 the Gäubodenvolksfest was brought to life as an agricultural association festival in the Lower Danube district by a decree of King Maximilian I Joseph . The focus was on breeding shows, agricultural cultivation methods and a horse race. At first it did not take place annually - as it is today - which is why the Gäubodenvolksfest took place for the 97th time in 2008 despite a 196-year history.
From 1819 on, the festival took place alternately in Straubing and Passau . The beginnings of the amusement park date from this time: in addition to the agricultural themes, bowling alleys, shooting ranges and lottery booths offered other attractions. In addition, festive processions took place back then, as well as fireworks that still mark the end of the last day of the festival.
From 1837 the cities of Landshut , Passau and Straubing finally shared the events.
In addition to the races and exhibitions, the offer has been continuously expanded. In 1848, handicrafts as well as commercial and natural products were presented to visitors for the first time. In addition, the festival meadow was continuously expanded. The festival visitors, meanwhile arriving from Munich, Regensburg and Passau, entered the fairground on the Hagen through a representative wooden gate.
The “Volksfest Straubing” from 1898
Since 1898 the festival has taken place exclusively in Straubing, but initially only every two years. The number of visitors at the time shows that the festival was very well received in the surrounding area, in town and country, in the Gäuboden and in the Vorwald: around 25,000 visitors came in 1898, with Straubing only having around 17,000 inhabitants at that time.
The celebration of the centenary in 1912 literally fell through. The festival now officially called Volksfest Straubing , which took place in September, drowned in continuous rain.
After a break through the First World War , a horse show and horse races did not take place again until 1922 , but now in August, which has been maintained until today. In 1925 the folk festival showed itself again in the splendor of the pre-war period, in 1927 there was even a contest.
During the National Socialism, the folk festival was abused for propaganda purposes. The festival was renamed Fest der Ostmark , the consumer exhibition was called the Braune Messe .
The "Gäubodenvolksfest" since 1949
After the Second World War , a festival was held for the first time in 1947. Since 1949 it has been called "Gäubodenvolksfest" and exists in the structure known today with an amusement park and consumer exhibitions for agriculture, handicrafts, trade and industry.
The economic upturn was evident in the folk festival: the consumer exhibition called "Ostbayernschau" was expanded to 8,000 m² in 1962, for the 150th anniversary. Furthermore, around 100,000 visitors were counted in the 1962 anniversary year, the parade was five kilometers long, and 30 music bands participated.
After the war, the two-year rhythm was initially retained; the Gäubodenvolksfest has only been held annually since the anniversary year 1962.
As a result, the festival became more international - Straubing's twin cities have been represented since 1971 - and more open. In addition to brass music, beat music has moved into the beer tents since the late 1960s; today traditional music and the younger generation's party music coexist.
For the 200th anniversary in 2012, a historical area was set up for the first time , and the fairground was expanded to the northwest. In addition to a marquee, this part mainly houses historical rides and attractions. Even after the anniversary year, the historical part was retained.
Program and events
Folk festival extract
At the start of the Gäubodenvolksfest on the Friday before the second Saturday in August, an excerpt to the festival meadow is organized with around 3500 participants in around 80 groups. The folk festival parade starts in the south of the city and meanders over a distance of around two kilometers through the historic city center to the fairground. Bavarian tradition is presented through traditional costume clubs, marching bands and music bands. But other Straubing associations also take part. The beer carriages with the 6- or 8-horse carriages of the breweries are particularly interesting.
During the move out, the Straubing city center is almost completely closed to traffic, which often leads to traffic chaos because of the beginning of the festival and the accompanying visitors.
opening
At the Gäubodenvolksfest there is no tradition of tapping a barrel, as is common at many other folk festivals. The Gäubodenvolksfest starts on the first day in the evening with the so-called beer tasting and the move to the festival meadow. The official opening of the Gäubodenvolksfest and the associated Ostbayernschau takes place on the following Saturday morning. The opening takes place alternately in one of the large festival tents. A representative of the Federal Government or the Bavarian State Government is always invited to speak. After a scandal in 2004, in which the then Federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin canceled his appearance at short notice, the organizers decided to invite only representatives of the Bavarian state government. A special feature was the speech given by Wolfgang A. Herrmann , President of the Technical University of Munich in 2008, who was the first “non-politician” to open the event. Further keynote speakers are the Lord Mayor of Straubing and the District Administrator of the Straubing-Bogen district . The Gäubodenvolksfest is opened twice each time, initially unofficially on Friday and then again officially on Saturday.
Attractions
Every few years, the largest transportable roller coasters in the world are represented on the fairground. These are e.g. B. the Olympia Looping , the Euro-Star or Star World (now hell lightning ). Furthermore, new products can be found every year at the Gäubodenvolksfest, as well as proven rides. The Gäubodenvolksfest is known as a child and family-friendly festival. In addition, trends are often set at the Gäubodenvolksfest, which then only become known to a larger extent at the later Munich Oktoberfest and are referred to as the "invention" of the Oktoberfest.
Ostbayernschau
The Ostbayernschau is an integral part of the Gäubodenvolksfest. This continues the tradition of the Gäubodenvolksfest, an agricultural show. At the Ostbayernschau approx. 750 exhibitors are represented on an area of around 60,000 m², offering a wide range of items from household items to large machines.
Framework events
As part of the Gäubodenvolksfest, additional events such as the concert of the festival tent bands, horse races on the Straubing trotting track and various sporting events are offered throughout the city. The lantern trip with low fireworks on the nearby Danube has been very popular for years. A large firework display on the last Monday marks the end of the Gäuboden folk festival.
Marquee tents and beer bars
Marquee tents
The Gäubodenvolksfest offers around 27,000 seats in seven festival tents.
Straubing's city council decided on February 9, 2009 that only six festival tents will be represented at the 2009 Gäubodenvolksfest. Before the city council, the city's festival committee and the supervisory board of Straubinger Ausstellungs- und Veranstaltungs-GmbH dealt with the topic in their meeting on January 28, 2008 and recommended that the smallest marquee should not be awarded. The new concept in 2010 increased the seating capacity of the festival tents. Another change came in 2012 when an additional, seventh tent in the historical part of the fairground was awarded. Since then there have been seven festival tents again:
The Krönner festival tent (brewery: Irlbacher , Irlbach ) offers not only the usual seats but also a balcony from which you can watch what is going on inside and on the paths in front of the tent.
The Lechner festival tent (formerly known as Lechner's Schmankerlzelt) is located on the site of the former Gockerlwirt tent. Beer from the Irlbacher brewery was served here until 2016, and the Röhrl brewery since 2017 .
Instead of the former Gäubodenhalle, there is the Nothaft festival tent . With just over 5,000 seats, it is the largest tent on the site. The Carmelite Brewery (Straubing) pours beer here.
The name of the Reisinger festival tent, ` Zum Grafenwirt`, can be traced back to the Arcobräu ( Moos ) brewery , which supplies the tent. It has been advertising with the slogan "Plastic-free beer tent" since 2018.
The special feature of the Wenisch marquee is a carousel with a bar, which is integrated into the tent. It was also the first tent with a “convertible roof” that can be opened when the weather is nice and allows a view of the sky. As a brewery, Erl-Bräu from Geiselhöring has been supplying the tent since 2010 .
The “Zum Bruder Straubinger” marquee has been part of the Gäubodenvolksfest since 2012 and has been managed by the Weckmann family since 2014. In 2012 and 2013 it was run by the Stahl-Wagener family. It is supplied by the Röhrl brewery .
In the historical part of the festival there is tent 7, the Greindl tent , which has an ox roasting facility . In this tent, in addition to cabaret artists and folk dance, there is only brass and folk music, which distinguishes it from the other tents, in which mostly party music is played. The Karmeliten Brewery supplies this tent.
In 2015, the uniform beer price in the tents was given up after a complaint by the Bavarian state cartel authority. The landlords no longer have to specify a beer price in their application.
Allocation of the festival tents
The organizer regulates the allocation of the festival tents precisely. For this purpose, the tents are roughly divided according to the seating capacity.
In category A with a capacity of approx. 5000 seats there are three tents (currently: Nothaft, Reisinger, Wenisch), three tents also have category B, with a number of seats of approx. 3000 (currently: Krönner, Lechner, Weckmann ). In Category C with a capacity of approx. 1400 seats there is only one tent (currently: Greindl).
The most important regulations are therefore that the landlord is based in the city of Straubing (cat. A and B) or in the district of Straubing-Bogen (cat. B and C). In addition, many years of experience in the catering industry is a prerequisite, but at least in the food industry (only Cat. C).
The hosts Nothaft and Wenisch run hotels and butchers, the Reisinger and Weckmann families restaurants, the Krönner hosts a pastry shop, and the Festwirt Greindl a restaurant and a butcher's shop.
Breweries
In Straubing, the host is not suggested by the supplying brewery, as is the case at the Munich Oktoberfest , but the host has to provide evidence of a delivery promise from an authorized brewery in his application.
The traditional delivery breweries (Karmeliten-Brauerei, Röhrlbräu, Arcobräu, Erl-Bräu, Klett-Bräu and the Irlbacher Brewery) as well as other breweries from the city of Straubing and the district of Straubing-Bogen are permitted in the tendering process. So far, the festival has only been supplied by these traditional breweries. Without the definition of the term “traditional brewery ”, Arcobräu from Moos would not be permitted in the Deggendorf district , as the brewery in the Straubing urban area no longer exists.
According to the procurement guidelines, breweries are allowed to issue proof of delivery for two applications, but no brewery is allowed to have a bar for more than approx. 6200 seats.
The beer that is served at the Gäubodenvolksfest is specially brewed by the breweries and has a higher original wort content .
Festival place on the Hagen
Naming
The area north of the Straubing city wall, which is known today as "Hagen", was first referred to as "Hakken" on March 12, 1374 in a ducal document. Hakken, Haagl, Hagken or Hogn are the remnants of old river rivulets, which appear in a flood plain with hook-shaped, curved water loops and soon flooded or soon dried up again, which is what the Hagenwiese on the Danube has always been.
In earlier times the Hagen lay much lower and was often quickly and unexpectedly inundated by the untamed Danube. For the 100th anniversary in 1912, such a flood hit the fairground exactly at the time of the festival and drowned it in excrement, mud and dirt. In times of war, such as at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, the area could also be flooded for defense purposes by the townspeople themselves via a lock at the hospital gate.
The Hagen as an area for games and sports
The Hagen has served as a place for games, sports and pastime since the 14th century. The archery in particular established its traditional competitions here. The oldest evidence of this is an entry in the account book of Duke Albrechts II of Straubing - Holland, which covers the years 1389 to 1392. The purser noted here that the Duke had paid out 24 pfennigs to the riflemen. Even today, the Hagen houses the rifle house of the royal privileged rifle guild Straubing.
In addition, over time, the square not only served as a parade ground for the military and recreational area for the population, but also as a sports and gymnastics facility for schools. Football tournaments were also held around the festival. In 1922, for example, 1. FC Straubing dueled guests from Regensburg, the "Süddeutsche Meisterreserve FC Wacker" from Munich and Rapid Linz.
The Hagen as a place of execution
Between the years 1850 and 1858, executions by the sword were carried out annually on and around today's fairground. The first execution took place in 1850 on the western edge of the Hagens, the "Gänsweide", and in the following years it wandered over the shooting range to the center of today's fairground. In order to ensure a good view of the audience, who usually number in the thousands, execution stages up to 3 meters high were built. On the night of April 23 to 24, 1945, several thousand prisoners from the Flossenbürg concentration camp, who were driven to the Dachau concentration camp, were also camped on the Hagen. Apparently shot prisoners were thrown into bomb craters and buried. In 1995 a memorial was erected in the Hagen green area for the victims of the evacuation marches.
The Hagen as a pasture
In earlier times, the so-called "Hutweiderecht" prevailed on the Hagen. Since the butchers used to make their horses available for mail trips, they got the right to let their horses graze on the Hagenwiese. The Hagen was thus divided into 19 grazing rights, which were also sold to citizens and exchanged over time. Since, in addition to the three permitted steeds and cattle, there were apparently more grazing cattle to be found, there was evidence that in the middle of the 18th century there were repeated arguments with the Kagers farmers. The steady expansion of the agricultural festival also led to problems with the tent owners, which is why the city more and more brought the old grazing rights back into its possession after 1949.
The Hagen today
Outside the Gäubodenvolksfest, the Hagen is available as a free car park with over 2000 parking spaces for the population. In the immediate vicinity is the Straubing city center, the Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Halle including trade fair and exhibition halls, the city theater, the ice rink and the Straubing bus station.
safety
There have been no major accidents and incidents at the Gäubodenvolksfest so far. In the 1970s there was a fire in the Edenhofer marquee, but it did not cause any major damage. The police and rescue services are present on the fairground with their own guards and carry out controls. The beer tents have their own security services. People who have already received negative feedback several times will be sent off. The focus of the work of the rescue workers is the care of people with excessive alcohol consumption and people with circulatory problems due to the August heat. There is also a Red Cross children's resource center .
The continued partying of the guests in downtown Straubing after the festivities is over is often problematic for the Straubing police. This leads to quarrels between drunk visitors and disturbances to residents. The city of Straubing has therefore decreed that no time outside is permitted in front of the bars. The bars in the city center also employ security services during the festival and generally enforce the requirements of the city of Straubing. Since 2008, the Straubing city center has been monitored by video cameras during the festival between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in order to increase perceived security.
facts and figures
| year | Beer price |
|---|---|
| 2019 | € 9.70 ... € 9.75 |
| 2018 | € 9.40 ... € 9.45 |
| 2017 | 9.10 ... 9.15 € |
| 2016 | € 8.90 ... € 8.95 |
| 2015 | € 8.75 ... € 8.75 |
| 2014 | € 8.40 |
| 2013 | € 8.10 |
| 2012 | € 7.90 |
| 2011 | 7.40 € |
| 2010 | 7.40 € |
| 2009 | € 6.80 |
| 2008 | € 6.80 |
| 2007 | € 6.45 |
| 2006 | € 5.95 |
| 2005 | € 5.85 |
| 2003 | € 5.60 |
| 2002 | € 5.60 |
| 2001 | 10.60 DM |
| 2000 | 9.90 DM |
| 1999 | 9.40 DM |
| 1998 | 8.90 DM |
| 1996 | 8.40 DM |
| 1995 | 8.20 DM |
| 1993 | 7.50 DM |
| 1991 | 6.50 DM |
| 1990 | 5.80 DM |
| 1989 | 5.60 DM |
| 1988 | 5.40 DM |
| 1986 | 5.10 DM |
| 1984 | 4.80 DM |
| 1983 | 4.70 DM |
| 1982 | 4.50 DM |
| 1981 | 4.20 DM |
Statistics (2019)
| Beginning | August 9 |
| Visitors | approx. 1.45 million |
| Charisma | approx. 30 times the population |
| Amusement park size | approx. 100,000 m² |
| Built-up front meter length | approx. 3000 m |
| Applicants | approx. 670 |
| Authorized | approx. 130 |
| historical area | 15th |
| Rides | 27 |
| Game and amusement shops | 19th |
| Raffles | 4th |
| Shooting ranges | 6th |
| Takeaway and convenience stores | 62 |
| Festival halls | 7th |
| Cultivation area | approx. 20,000 m² |
| Seats | approx. 27,000 |
| Breweries | 5 |
| Serving beer | over 850,000 l |
The "second largest folk festival in Bavaria"
The organizers are promoting the Gäubodenvolksfest with the title “Bavaria's second largest folk festival”. After the Oktoberfest in Munich, the Nürnberger Volksfest and the Straubinger Gäubodenvolksfest are the largest folk festivals in Bavaria. Since the pure "size" is not easily measurable, different categories are compared:
In terms of the total number of visitors, Nuremberg is ahead, as the Nuremberg Volksfest has around 1,600,000 visitors and the Gäubodenvolksfest around 1,450,000. The folk festival in Nuremberg lasts six days longer, so that the Gäubodenvolksfest is attended by almost 131,800 people per day, the Nuremberg folk festival by a good 94,100.
If you compare the area of the amusement park, the Nuremberg folk festival and the Straubinger Gäubodenvolksfest are roughly the same size, as there is a total area of approx. 100,000 m² each.
When it comes to beer consumption, the Straubing Gäubodenvolksfest is in the lead, as is the daily amount served, because around 8,500 hectoliters of beer are served in Straubing every year.
Trivia
Although the Gäubodenvolksfest is the official name, the people of Straubing only refer to their festival as the Volksfest or Straubinger Volksfest . The terms Gäubodenfest and Gäubodenvolksfest are mostly used by non-residents.
Since 2018, the annual election for the Bavarian Goaß Maß queen has been held at the Gäubodenvolksfest. It is the only queen election in the city and county and follows on from the 1927 contest.
Individual evidence
- ^ Gäubodenvolksfest - Straubinger Exhibition and Event GmbH. 1.4 million visitors from all over the world. Retrieved March 10, 2020 .
- ↑ idowa.de: 1.4 million visitors and 800,000 liters of beer ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Over 3,500 participants, more than 80 music and traditional costume groups, floats and horse-drawn carriage take part in the traditional move to the festival meadow. Retrieved March 10, 2020 .
- ↑ Speech by Wolfgang A. Herrmann
- ↑ Straubinger Tagblatt: The city council has decided: Only six marquees at the Gäubodenvolksfest 2009 ( Memento from August 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Straubinger Tagblatt: Gäubodenvolksfest 2009: Are there only six festival tents this time? ( Memento from August 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Festzelte - Homepage of the Straubing Volksfest. Retrieved August 3, 2018 .
- ↑ Gäubodenvolksfest: Different beer prices for the first time - that costs the measure. idowa.de, accessed on April 9, 2017 .
- ↑ TV Aktuell: Off for the uniform beer price? Retrieved April 9, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Announcement for festival tents 2007
- ↑ a b c d Dorit -Maria Krenn, Alfons Huber: Straubing in Niederbayern. The city guide . Attenkofer Verlag, Straubing 2016 ISBN 978-3-942742-86-3 , page 13
- ↑ Comparison of figures and data at Wikipedia: Volksfest
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 53 ′ 1.7 " N , 12 ° 33 ′ 51.1" E