Wendener fair
The Wendener Kirmes (dialect: "Wendsche Kärmetze") in the center of Wenden is the largest folk festival in South Westphalia . It takes place annually on the third Tuesday in August and the weekend before and mostly attracts around 300,000 visitors from near and far.
history
The Wenden fair dates back to the parish fair from 13. August 1752 back. It developed around the construction of the new parish church of St. Severinus in Wenden , which was inaugurated with the erection of the high and cross altars on that day. A year later, the then Cologne Auxiliary Bishop Franz Kaspar von Franken-Siersdorf set the binding date for the corresponding parish fair on the Sunday before the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven .
As almost everywhere in Wenden, there was also market activity around the church on Kirchweihtag, where the population could get everything they needed. When this Krammarkt was later supplemented by a cattle market , the first took place on Sunday in the first half of the 19th century, the other on the Monday after. The importance of the Wenden cattle market subsequently increased, especially when the presented cattle were awarded prizes for the first time in 1841 .
In 1855 the general store and livestock market was merged into one day, namely the third Tuesday in August. From the 1870s, the local agricultural association, founded in 1842 , took over the organization, which resulted in the festival gaining steadily increasing interest due to the shift in focus to the animal show .
The range of the former parish fair and the resulting animal show has grown over the years. The fair, which was initially dominated by the merchants, was joined by the first carousels and shooting galleries as well as other showmen with their offers and presentations in the second half of the 19th century . With the resulting even larger influx of visitors, the "Wendsche Kärmetze" developed over the years into the largest folk festival in South Westphalia, which was initially expanded to include the Sunday before the third Tuesday in August, and since 1993 also includes the Saturday.
procedure
The official start of the Wenden fair is on Saturdays at 3 p.m. on the town hall forecourt . From there it goes to the ferris wheel and then the official opening takes place with the tapping of draft beer by the mayor of the municipality of Wenden. Late on Saturday evening there is a brilliant fireworks display after dark .
On Sundays there is a service in the parish church of St. Severinus at 9:15 a.m. This is followed by an early concert in the marquee. From 10:00 a.m. the fair starts with Krammarkt.
The animal show begins on Tuesdays at 7.45 a.m., and the animals are displayed at the animal showroom at 8.00 a.m. The awards ceremony for the animals begins at 9:00 a.m. and the rides and stalls open at the same time.
The end of the fair is around 2 a.m. on all three days of the event.
Fairground
There is basically no separate fairground, although the area below the town hall - located directly on the Bigge inflow Wende - is referred to as such. The original Krammarkt took place around the parish church, where the market square is today. Even today, a large part of the fair takes place around this area. Otherwise, the other fair area meanders through the entire center of Wenden. Lined up together, the rides, the amusement stands, the Krammarkt with around 400 dealers and the stands for the physical well-being result in a length of over three kilometers.
Animal show
The animal show on Tuesday is the feast day of the local agricultural association of the municipality of Wenden. A highlight is the cattle drive. A total of around 250 four-legged friends will be set up and then assessed by judges. Including cows, cattle, bulls, horses, sheep, goats and pigs. But also numerous rabbits and purebred poultry are presented to the public.
Every year, in addition to numerous onlookers, numerous people and organizations interested in agriculture come to this animal show. In addition to those from the surrounding regions from the district of Olpe , the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein , the Oberbergischer Kreis and the Märkischer Kreis, there were also many national and foreign visitors.
Transport links
The fair grounds are located in the center of the municipality's main town, Wenden. By road is via the motorways A4 or A45 on the junction turning in Olpe-south to Wenden. Parking spaces are signposted accordingly, most of which are free of charge, but close to the fair, some are also chargeable. During the fair days, there are more and more commuter buses, the main stop of which is on the edge of the lower “fairground”. In particular, the R51 and R53 are the most important bus routes that run from Olpe and Siegen and the R50 from Kreuztal to Wenden. In addition, on the fair days, separate fair lines drive to Wenden as special buses.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Visitor numbers and other things to do with the Wenden fair
- ↑ a b c d History of "Wendschen Kärmetze" by Friedhelm Krause MA
- ^ Facebook: Local agricultural association for the municipality of Wenden eV