Sunday, August 3, 2014

Late Afternoon in Markgröningen, where barefoot shepherds run




Markgröningen's main square in the late afternoon sun.



My visit to Markgröningen was a short one as I was there on business, so I regret that I don't have a lot of photos or stories to tell you about this very interesting town. Still, I wanted to post this because it is definitely an interesting place with a very unique tradition - the Schäferlauf. I'll tell you more about that further down.  First, a little something about this historically unique town.



Bartholomäuskirche, Markgröningen
(Bartholomew's Church)



Evidently, Markgröningen was originally known as Gruoninga when it was first mentioned in a deed in 779. This deed was a gift (from whom, I don't know) to the Monastery of Fulda, which is today the seat of the Archbishop of Fulda, yet another beautiful city worth visiting which is located in the center of the German state of Hessen. Later, Mark (meaning: border region, particularly of an area of defence) was added to the name to denote its location at the time between the Alemannisch (today, roughly the area of western Baden-Württemberg running along the French border down into the Basel area of Switzerland) and Frankish (basically in what is today northern Bavaria, parts of Baden-Württemberg, Hessen and also Thuringia) territories.





Close-up of the Markgröningen Rathaus on the main square

(I can assure you that the wood is solid. My own home is of the same style and age. It is so old, it almost
seems to be petrified. Drive a nail in and you will never get it out again. It's as solid as rock!)



Markgröningen is located 15 km northwest of Stuttgart, but it is not accessible by train. Buses run there regularly from Asperg. The trip from Stuttgart should be about 35 minutes, so it still makes quite a reasonable excursion. If for no other reason, it is worth the trip for its Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered houses). So, if you are in the area, make a point to stop by.




A view through the main square toward the Bartholomäuskirche 




For those of you interested in German history, this town was designated a Free Imperial City as far back as 1229. This meant that the city was responsible directly and only to the Holy Roman Emperor himself, and not to the local lord no matter how high his or her rank. And yes, this was a good thing.  Markgröningen did not last long as a Free Imperial City, however, as the Swabian House of Württemberg acquired it in the 1300s. It was designated a seat of government at different times between then and the second half of the 15th century. 






Marktplatz

Just look at that house. Doesn't it look a bit top heavy? Looks like you can just 

give it a good push and it will fall right over. It has been there a very long time.








Following the Reformation, Markgröningen became Protestant. Its Spital (can be a hospital for the poor or a wayside shelter for pilgrims; the word is also used for "hospital" in Switzerland and Austria today), which was established in 1297 and run by the Catholic Order of the Holy Spirit, was taken over by the city in 1552 and has been administered by it ever since. 




Another view of the Rathaus

Note the angle of the clock and bell tower at the top. Beneath it, you might be able to make out
the eagle on the Wappen (coat-of-arms) on the right-hand side. This eagle distinguished the city as
a Free Imperial City. See below for other photos.










Okay, so I said earlier that I would tell you a little about the shephards' run, or Schäferlauf. I do wish I had photos to show you, but I don't. You will have to see it for yourself and make your own photos. Fortunately, if you are in the area, you still have time to get there because it will be held August 22 - 25 this year.  As of this posting, that is only a few weeks away!

So what is it? It is a barefoot race through what is called a Stoppelfeld (field of stubble). Sounds like it would hurt. Anyway, young girls race each other for the coveted crown and title of queen, and the boys do the same for the king's crown. And what else do each of their majesties receive? Well, something that all kings and queens covet, of course. A sheep! 










This has been going on in Markgröningen since about 1445. (They ought to be pretty good at it by now, I would think.) The event has turned into a three-day festival with a period costume-filled parade, church service and demonstrations of the various tasks of shepherds. Yes, there are even sheep. Surprised? Although I have yet to see the actual event, I have only heard that it is indeed worth meandering through and experiencing.










I do wish I had more photos to show you. Hopefully the few I have here will at least whet your appetite enough to at least do some research on your own via the internet. Don't just look at Wikipedia. Go to other sites, or click here and find more online photos of the actual Schäferlauf on Google. 





Der obere Torturm
(Upper gate tower)

This is the last remaining of the four gates into the city of Markgröningen when a wall surrounded it.
The wall was dismantled before 1850.




How to get to Markgröningen by public transportation: From Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (main station), take the S5 (underground platform) to Asperg (another interesting town with a castle above it). This takes about 18-20 minutes. From there, go out to the front of the station and catch the no. 532 bus in the direction of "Mühlstraße Oberriexingen". Ask the driver to tell you when you have arrived because the old town is not where he drops you off. I don't believe any buses go through that part of town, but it is merely a couple of blocks away. Remember where you got off, because you will need to come back to that spot to return to Stuttgart. Altogether, the trip from Stuttgart should take you about 35 minutes.

By car? Hmm, I don't travel that way, so I can't tell you, but I would assume streets and perhaps a highway or two might be a good idea ;-). Otherwise, I think most of you who drive have a navigator, so enter "Markgröningen" or "Markgroeningen", and any of the options that come up will get you there. 

Monday, January 27, 2014

BESIGHEIM: another surprise find

Besigheim, located in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg, is a town located at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town is surrounded on three sides by water. The earliest written documentation of Besigheim was dates back to 1153. Its ownership passed through various hands and was ravaged by war numerous times over the centuries. Most of the military occupations were imposed by the French armies, the last of which was during the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815. 




The old town once boasted a castle, but it was destroyed over a period of more than 50 years following Louis XIV's Nine Years' War (War of the Palatine Succession). A couple of towers still remain in the old town amidst a number of other beautiful, historical buildings. I found some of the ancient stone manors found in the town calling me to photograph them. I gladly obliged.




Not only was Besigheim owned by several different German princes, it was for a time owned by the Hapsburgs as well. 









The colorful Fachwerk (half-timbered) buildings are a favorite of mine, which can be found all over Germany. The old Rathaus (Town Hall) above shows an example of this.




It was nice that my first visit there was a sunny autumn day. The creeper making its way all over a number of walls could not have been more splendidly bedecked in glorious shades of reds, yellows and more. The sun and the blue skies made for marvelous backdrops to photographs.




The Schoch Tower, built somewhere around 1200, and the old stone house above are principal landmarks in the upper part of the Old Town.




One of several very old homes located in the upper Old Town. Note the size of the windows and simple carving around the doorway.














Besigheim is definitely worth the visit. It can be reached from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (main station) via the R4 line within approximately 25 minutes. Trains leave every 30 minutes on the quarter hour.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Bietigheim-Bissingen: the "Double B" Town





Located approximately 20 kilometers north of Baden-Württemberg's state capital of Stuttgart, the city of Bietigheim-Bissingen boasts some beautiful, historical structures that date far back into the Middle Ages. The city's only remaining gate-tower was built in the 14th century, and together with a number of other marvelous structures, be they half-timbered or stone, visitors in search of history will be quite pleased by their findings. 

Like most German cities with similar historical offers, the city of Bietigheim-Bissingen is perfectly suited for pedestrians. The well-cared-for buildings and interesting places to visit make for a nice walk through the streets and an enjoyable visit.



Two people leaving as I make my way in through the 14th century
gate of Beitigheim-Bissingen.

Above the highest arch in the gate, one can see the little golden shield with 
three antlers, one atop the other. This shield is the emblem of the
House of Württemberg. 








Above: One of my favorite things to be found throughout so much of central and northern Europe is pictured above: the beautiful and intricate trade shingles protruding out from over doors or windows of stores and other businesses announcing symbolically what kind of business is going on below. In the days when most could neither read nor write, these signs bore simple emblems of the trade going on in the businesses over which they hung, so the average shopper could easily find what kind of shop or business they were looking for. Fortunately, they are still found all throughout these parts of Europe - some of which can be almost comical-looking today. Clearly this shingle demonstrates something to do with ale of some sort.



The main street of Beitigheim-Bissingen is a pedestrian zone.
The beautiful medieval Fachwerk (half-timbered) structures 

are in abundance here.





This splendid bridge was constructed between 1851 and 1853 by Karl Etzel. Known as the Bietigheim Enz-Valley Viaduct, it carries one of the train lines between Stuttgart and Bruchsal over the Enz River and Valley. The view from the train is quite extensive. It was damaged in the Second World War, but well restored. If you should come to "B-B" via train from Stuttgart, the walk from the station, which is on the Bissingen side of the River Enz, allows for a nice walk along the river and a marvelous view of the massive viaduct-bridge as you make your way under the structure to get to the Bietigheim side. 




One of several lovely gardens one passes when making one's way along the river toward Bietigheim.


The two cities of Bietigheim and Bissingen were joined into one municipality in 1975. Bietigheim, the oldest of the two, was first documented around 789. Bissingen is mentioned in 870. 







Above: One of the covered footbridges that crosses the narrow Metter. The River Metter is much smaller than the larger Enz. The Metter flows into the River Enz at Bietigheim, where it continues northward and joins the much larger Neckar, not terribly far away in another "B" city by the name of Besigheim. Check the next blog entry for my photos on my visit there. 




A sculpted garden below the walls of Bietigheim. 








Above and below: It is my humble opinion, based on the Württemberg antlers in the upper left quadrant of the shield which the statue above the fountain is holding next to itself, that the statue is none other than Count Eberhard II of Württemberg. He purchased part of the then neighboring community of Bissingen in the 1339, but later gave Bietigheim city status in 1364. 

Many years later, the powerful Württemberg family was to include these two locations within their growing duchy of Württemberg, which became a kingdom at the grace of Napoleon I at the beginning of the 19th century. See Bebenhausen: where it all ended.








Below: The old Rathaus, or town hall, of Bietigheim was built in 1507. Unfortunately the sun was directly above the building when I took the photo. For the life of me I could not find an angle get a clearer shot. The colors are not exact due to my not having a filter with me.  










This city is filled with so many beautiful buildings of the Fachwerk, half-timbered, style. I regret that I do not have but so many photographs of them all to show you. Probably, the most famous of the structures here is the Hornmoldhaus, which was built in 1535/36. It is one of the best of its type in all of southern Germany.  I hope the photos that I do have here will at least whet your appetite to visit this very interesting city, with its many offers and attractions.





Note the beautiful half-timbered (Fachwerk) work and window settings in this house. 




The Schloß, or castle, built in 1546 has been renovated and is today the home of a very good music school.




Part of the remaining wall of the city.


How to get there: 

From Stuttgart take the S-5 from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof). The S-5 normally leaves from underground at the station. As stated above, the city is only about 20 kilometers north of Stuttgart.

From Karlsruhe, take the S-5 either directly to Bietigheim-Bissingen or the one that passes through there on the way to Stuttgart.

Whether from Stuttgart or Karlsruhe, Bietigheim-Bissingen is easily a nice day trip.



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Well, if you're going to be a fool, at least be a colorful one! Going back to Narrenfest 2009 in Bad Cannstatt





Narrenfest
or
Festival of Fools


Narrenfest, Bad Cannstatt, Germany, January 2009


One of my favorite memories of living in Bad Cannstatt came about on a sunny Sunday morning a few years ago, which turned into a chilly afternoon surrounded by a bunch, no - a mob, of fools. And I mean legitimate fools. It was Narrenfest - a festival of fools who spent part of the year practicing to be fools, and being proud of being fools in a celebration of fools which has lasted for hundreds of years! All sounds a tad foolish, doesn't it? 

I had started out on a late morning stroll down from above the vineyards where I was living at the time. It was a January morning and I noticed that people were starting to line the streets leading to the Old Town. I figured I would just stand there with them until whatever it was that was going to pass by made its way by me for my inspection. I had no idea what to expect, but as I usually never go out without a camera or smartphone, I was ready.



Twins separated at birth
I was first in line on the street. I stood my ground for what turned out to be the most exciting parade filled with the largest assortment of masks and ancient costumes I had ever seen anywhere in the world - and I have been in many countries on several continents. More than a dozen different countries were participating in this time-honored event and it was a photographer's paradise. I ended up being swept along with it right into the middle of the Old Town until I was standing directly in front of the former Bad Cannstatt Rathaus with thousands of other people who had come from many parts of Europe to take part or watch. I was there for hours just clicking away, praying the batteries would hold out on my camera. 480 shots later, well, I guess they did their part.



















Narrenfest is nothing new. The celebration, or festival thereof, has been going on forever in these parts. And it has always involved    COLOR!














Now have a look at these young lovelies. Tell me these aren't the dreams of all bachelor party celebrations, no? They would certainly be at the top of my list for entertainment! (Certainly brides would prefer these ladies to be the ones poppin' out of the bachelor's cake, right?)



           


I cannot swear that behind these masks there are no women at all today; however, I do in fact know that the  medieval Zunft, or guild, to witch these whiches (or vice-versa) belong was  originally only men. After all, this dates in one form or another all the way back to Heaven knows when: medieval times or even the Dark Ages? But, clearly there are women participating in other costumes as they twirl, jump, hop, and wind their way in the long parade through the streets. Be advised: this particular international event does not take place every year. On this special occasion involved guilds and participants from many different countries. The United States even had a small contingent! The Fest of Fools does in fact take place each year in communities all over central Europe, but these usually include the local townsfolk. I happened upon this international festival by luck, and I guess it was double luck that it was also in my town of Bad Cannstatt.


For anyone interested in the history of festivals and pagan holidays, this is most certainly one to research. The best way to do so is to simply come here to  experience it. An expensive way, for sure, but definitely worth it. Of course, one of the most famous of all such events is in the town of Rotweil (that's right, home of the famous dog), a beautifully medieval town which lies south of Stuttgart in the Lower Black Forest region of Württemberg. Their traditional event is especially known for being most accurate as regards following the traditions of the parade are concerned, but one must get up early in the morning to participate in this fantastic, annual event. 






Some of the massive costumes, besides being very warm, if not hot, for the wearers, can be most frightening, not only to children, but also to some more mature guests. I think I may have annoyed some of them by my constant grin from ear to ear as they passed by. I was in history heaven!

      



As mentioned earlier, people came from all sorts of countries. Some of the bore their flags as they paraded, such as this pointed-nose group from Belgium on the right.



Slovenia was sighted as well at the Narrenfest. The young couple below were a part of that group.

















The almost buffalo-like, long-haired "fools" from Eastern Europe were also particularly interesting for the crowd, as they twirled and danced with their massive, heavy head pieces. The masks themselves were of large pieces of wood, and as seen below, they begin at young ages. Not only the weight of the headdresses, but also the heavy bells tied to ropes around their waists. Their constant swinging and spinning made a cacophony of dull, tinny clangs that no one could miss, like a stampede of Swiss cows running to the barn for feeding time. Every few minutes, these participants had to remove their "heads" in order to down half a bottle of water or so. 






The masks were so heavy on these guys, they had to hold them in place to be able to see properly through them. The ram horns adorning these headdresses were real. (Ouch!)

_________________________________________________________________________________



Well, as mentioned above, color plays a large part at Narrenfest. As your dear writer here is not old enough to recall how it was in the early days of these events back in medieval times, I nonetheless think that the more ancient of these costumes are probably rather authentic; but, at the same time, I guess over the past 500 years even these guilds have made changes themselves, so maybe I had better catch up, too. Let's have a look at some more of the colorful parts of the Narrenfest parade here:



Any idea how much all these bells weigh? Any idea how noisy this parade was,
especially when mixed with all the applause and cheers of the people?





This little marcher (above right) was no more than 13 years old. Each of this group carried a box of chocolates. Your chocoholic writer here followed them for quite a while in hopes that they had a giving spirit. Alas, they didn't. 




But who cares under these circumstances. I mean, look at that color - chocolate or no chocolate! It was a party. The beauty of this is that these happy and colorful events have descended down through the centuries from just after the Dark Ages - and no doubt there were similar festivals during and before! The Church was all-powerful in every aspect of life at this time. The control that it had over citizens throughout Europe was also practiced through the threat of loss of salvation. It was so easy to be labeled a heretic, and this simply wasn't advantageous to one's livelihood, let alone one's life span! This opportunity to dress up and hide behind a mask to basically let loose before the Lenten season was a time to make satire about the religious and secular powers that existed at the time. The Catholic Church was not particularly comfortable with it all, since even priests were known to participate in the revelry. Stories certainly exist of leading members of the hierarchy in Rome warning their celebratory brethren not to be so involved in these events.




It was nearly impossible to catch these Bavarian participants when
they weren't twirling or slapping their thighs and kicking. Hence, blurry shot.
       



There were a lot of dizzy people at the end of the day.
At least, I thought there would have been.
Heaven knows I sure got dizzy watching!
Each of the mouths on these masks was different, 
but not one of them was sad.





















So here you go: more masks and costumes. I cannot leave this page without putting more of these simply astounding masks and costumes on show for your perusal:












Something about these ladies(?) intrigued me.




And man, could they play!




A happy pair of fools




Erecting the festival pole in front of the Rathaus (Town Hall)












I am not sure, but I think these ladies came down from the Black Forest in Baden.








He reminded me of a human "smore"





















There are several names for this time of year and the event. Narrenfest is directly related to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Fasching in the Rhineland of Germany, not to mention other pre-Lenten events. It his traditionally held on Rosenmontag, otherwise known as "Shrovetide", which is before Shrove Tuesday, amongst several other ancient names. This is the Monday directly before Ash Wednesday.



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