The Oktoberfest

The origin

The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810 in honour of the wedding of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on 12 October 12th 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race.

Picture: Octagon, www.wikipedia.org CC BY-SA 3.0

What's the Wiesn?

Wiesn is Bavarian and means meadow. The frequently used apostrophe Wies'n is not used according to the valid spelling. The Wiesn is the festival site where the Oktoberfest has been held regularly since the beginning of 1810.

Why is it called Oktoberfest and not Septemberfest?

The first Oktoberfest began on 17 October. Today the Wiesn begins exactly one month earlier and usually ends on one of the first days of summer. Since then only the last Wiesn weekend falls in October.

Historical development of the festival

Since 1850, the statue of Bavaria, almost 20 metres high, has towered over the Festwiese. The Hall of Fame at the foot of the Bavaria was completed in 1853. In the following years some festivities were cancelled. This was due to two cholera epidemics in 1854 and 1873, the Prussian-Austrian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the Oktoberfest developed more and more into the popular festival known all over the world today. It was extended in time and brought forward to the usually beautiful and warm last days of September due to the Indian summer. Since then only the last Wiesn weekend falls in October.

• The Wiesn celebrated its 100th birthday in 1910.
• From 1914 to 1918 the festival was cancelled because of the First World War.
• In 1935 the 125th anniversary was pompously staged; among other things with a large jubilee procession.
• During the Second World War from 1939 to 1945 there was no festival.
• From 1946 to 1948, there was an Autumn Festival, but no Oktoberfest.
• The Oktoberfest has been cancelled 24 times since its inception.
• The first Oktoberfest after the war took place in September 1949.
• The horse race was no longer held after the war.

Bomb attack

On the evening of 26 September 1980, a bomb exploded at the main entrance of Wies´n . As a result, 13 people died there and over 200 were injured, 65 of them seriously. The assassination is considered one of the most serious terrorist attacks in German history. In addition, the crime has still not been fully solved and completed.

Oktoberfest beer

Oktoberfestbier is a very special beer that is brewed by only a few Munich breweries especially for the Wiesn-Gaudi. This has a positive effect on the taste, but a negative effect on the price. A measure (one measure = 1l) of beer costs between 10,70€ and 11,50€. The special Oktoberfest beer brewed according to the original recipe has approx.

6% alcohol (Paulaner), 6.1% (Löwenbräu), 6.0% (Augustiner), 6.3% (Hofbräu)

The Oktoberfest beer has a sweeter and fuller taste due to more barley malt than other typical beers. In addition, the barley malt gives the beer more original gravity. Thus the special beer tastes somewhat sweeter and more substantial, than usual wheat beer. However, the original Oktoberfest beer is not excessively sweet, thanks to the hops, which bring in a bitter taste. The Bavarians describe the beer as wonderfully drinkable.

Attractions

Pic.: Michael.chlistalla, www.wikipedia.org CC BY-SA 3.0

In total there are around 29 marquees. The tents are equipped with up to 4500 benches and tables for up to 8540 seats. There is also a lot of food and drinks. Around the opening hours there are various Oktoberfest bands who perform live throughout the day. A good   atmosphere and fun attractions are provided for. Since the tents have sometimes had to be closed due to overcrowding in recent years, the City of Munich has set up a “Wiesnbarometer” on its website, which predicts the occupancy rate of the tents. In addition to the 14 large marquees and 15 smaller marquees, there are several foodtrucks, lottery stalls, beer wagons and, among other things, many rides, such as round, high and running rides, a white water ride and several roller coasters, including the Olympia Looping, the largest mobile roller coaster in the world with five loops. Among them is the famous Ferris wheel, which was first erected and put into operation in 1880. This is one of the most famous and successful attractions of the Wiesn. 

By Bastian