we accept

Learn more

Here you find lots of interesting facts about:
Bavaria and its customs
Lederhosen & Dirndls King Ludwig II.
Nutcrackers München
Cuckoo Clocks Oberammergau
Music Boxes

Oktoberfest


Every year, a big celebration takes place under the eyes of Ms. Bavaria, patron of Bavaria and the Oktoberfest, a huge female stone statue, which is celebrating her 152th birthday this year.
The history of the Octoberfest started with wedding bells and a horse race October in the year 1810, four years after Bavaria had become a kingdom, crown prince Ludwig of Bavaria (who was to be King Ludwig I) married princess Therese of Saxon-Hildburghausen. The official festivities lasted five days and included parades of riflemen, music, eating and drinking.
The festivities ended with a horse race held on a green which was situated in those days outside of the city limits and named "Theresienwiese" (Theresa's green) in honour of the bride. Over the next years the horse race was repeated and the Oktoberfest, also called "Wiesn" was born.
Today the Oktoberfest is a multinational festival, which is visited by over 6,5 million people every year. In two weeks, they ate over 600,000 roast chickens and drank 5,8 million "Mass" (one litre) beer. Over 2,35 million kilowatt hours of electricity were consumed and 59 000 cubic metres of water were used, just to please 16 days long nearly 450.000 visitors every day. Beside nearly 877 tons of waste, which are spread over 26 hectares, 64 catering stands, 362 salesmen and 200 showmen give there best to entertain the visitors. Among them, the largest tent is the Hofbräutent with over 10,000 seats.
In 1811, an agricultural festival was added to the horse race, which ceased to be held after 1938. The agricultural festival, which takes place now every two years, has been a part of the Oktoberfest up to this day. In the year 1818, the first carrousel was set up and also there some beer counters.
But this was only the beginning: 1896 the first of the huge beer tents were built up and until today only breweries from Munich are allowed to sell beer on the Oktoberfest. The number of carrousels, swings andfood bazars were raising too.But due to bad circumstances, there were also years when the festival could not take place: during French-German war, the cholera in 1873 in the years of World War I and II.
But in the years to come, the attractions of the Oktoberfest kept getting more and more exotic, and the festival was getting bigger and bigger. Today the Oktoberfest is the biggest fair of the world and it's known worldwide. What's special and attractive about the Oktoberfest is its ability to combine a celebration for the locals and an international mega-event, a combination of traditions and high-tech, new ideas and influences.


The big opening celebration starts always with a folk march of approximately 7,500 participants through downtown Munich towards the Oktoberfest fairgrounds, presenting the diversity of traditions, folkmusic, and folk-dance in Europe: There are costume groups from every Federal State in Germany; groups from Bulgaria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Ukraine are also going to take part again this year.

 


Are you planning to come to the Octoberfest?

Than stay in our beautiful bed and breakfast house in Oberammergau.

More info here at: www.firmafux.de


This site is sponsored by:

Bierhaus Not your ordinary Oompah place in Miami!

Old World German restaurant - Euro Market - Deli - Bakery in Hountington Beach - CA

topgermansites
to the top