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Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. Other cities across the world also hold fairs, modeled after the Munich event, also called Oktoberfest. The event traditionally takes place during the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October. The schedule was changed following German reunification in 1990 so that if the first October Sunday is the 1st or 2nd then the festival will go on until the October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (Field or meadow of Therese), often called “d’ Wiesn” for short. Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares “O'zapft is!” (Bavarian: “It’s tapped!”). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first mass is served to the Bavarian Minister-President. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands. Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.
History The first "Oktoberfest" took place on October 12 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (hence: "Theresienwiese") organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12th, the horse race on October 17th, therefore there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest). In the year 1813, the Oktoberfest was called off as Bavaria was involved in the Napoleonic war. In 1816, carnival booths appeared. The main prizes were silver, porcelain, and jewelry. In 1819, The town fathers of Munich took over festival management. They decided that the Oktoberfest should be celebrated every year without exception. Later, it was lengthened and the date pushed forward. The reason being that the end of September in Bavaria often has very good weather. The high temperature in the first week of Oktoberfest nears 30 °C which stimulates the thirst of the visitors. However, today the last week of Oktoberfest is still in October. Since 1850 the statue of Bavaria has watched the Oktoberfest. This worldly Bavarian patron was first sketched by Leo von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticised and "germanised" the draft. Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand von Miller made the statue. In 1853, the Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was finished. In 1854, 3,000 residents of Munich succumbed to an epidemic of cholera, so the festival was canceled. Also, in the year 1866, there was no Oktoberfest as Bavaria fought in the Austro-Prussian War. In 1870, the Franco-German war was the reason for cancellation of the festival. In 1873, the festival was once more canceled due to a Cholera epidemic. In the year 1880, the city government approved the sale of beer. The electric light illuminated over 400 booths and tents. In 1881, booths selling bratwursts opened. In 1892, beer was first served in glass mugs. At the end of the 1900's, a re-organization took place. Until then, there were games of skittles, large dance floors, and trees for climbing in the beer booths. They wanted more room for guests and musicians. The booths became beer halls. In the year 1910, Oktoberfest celebrated its 100th birthday. 120,000 liters of beer were poured. In 1913, the Bräurosl was founded, which was the largest Oktoberfest beer tent of all time, with room for about 12,000 guests (today, the biggest tent is the Hofbräu-Festhalle which holds 10,000). From 1914 through 1918, World War I prevented the celebration of Oktoberfest. In 1919 and 1920, the two years after the war, Munich celebrated only an "Autumn Fest." In 1923 and 1924, the Oktoberfest was not held due to inflation. In 1933, the Bavarian white and blue flag was replaced with the standard swastika flag. From 1939 to 1945, due to World War II, no Oktoberfest took place. From 1946 to 1948, after the war, Munich once again celebrated only the "Autumn Fest." The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer was not permitted. The guests had to make do with beer that had an alcohol content under 2%. Since its beginnings the Oktoberfest has thus been canceled 24 times due to war, disease and other emergencies. Since 1950, there has been a traditional festival opening: A twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the current Mayor of Munich with the cry "O'zapft is!" opens the Oktoberfest. The first mayor to tap the keg was Thomas Wimmer. By 1960, the Oktoberfest had turned into an enormous world-famous festival. The first Japanese, Americans, and New Zealanders discovered the festival and stumbled with beer mugs alongside Bavarians. They spread the word of Munich worldwide. After this foreigners began to picture Germans as wearing the Sennerhut, Lederhosen, and the girls in Dirndl. Horse races ended in 1960. There are many problems every year with young people, who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol. Many pass out due to drunkenness. These especially drunk patrons are often called "Bierleichen" (German for "beercorpses"). They are brought by staff to a medical tent where drunks as well as sick people are treated. To make the Oktoberfest, and especially the beer tents, once again friendly to older people and families, the concept of the "quiet Oktoberfest" was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 PM, the tents only play quiet music, for example traditional wind music. Only after that will Schlager and pop music be played, which has led to more violence in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 decibels. With these measures, the organizers of the Oktoberfest hope to curb the over-the-top party mentality and preserve the traditional beer tent atmosphere. Costume Parade To honor the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria, a parade took place for the first time in 1835. Since 1950 this has been a yearly event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. 8,000 people, mostly from Bavaria, in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street, through the center of Munich, to the Oktoberfest. The march is led by the Münchner Kindl. Entry of the Hosts In 1887, the Entry of the Oktoberfest Staff and Breweries took place for the first time. This event showcases the splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries and the bands that play in the festival tents. This event always takes place on the first Saturday of the Oktoberfest and symbolises the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration Attack on Oktoberfest On September 26 1980 at 10:19 PM, a pipe bomb was set off in a trash can, at the showers at the main entrance. The bomb consisted of an empty fire extinguisher filled with 1.39 kilograms of TNT and mortar shells. Thirteen people were killed, over 200 were injured, 68 seriously. This was the worst terrorist attack in the history of Germany. The official inquiries found that a right-wing extremist Gundolf Köhler from Donaueschingen, a social outcast who didn't get away in time and was killed himself in the explosion, was the lone perpetrator. This account is disputed strongly by various groups. Accidents On September 30 1996, 26 people were injured in a collision on the Eurostar roller coaster. Size The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest People's Fair in the World. Year after year, about six million people visit the 42 Hectare large Theresienwiese. 72% of the people are from Bavaria. 15% of visitors come from foreign countries like the surrounding EU-countries and other non-European countries like the United States, Japan, and Australia. Besides the Oktoberfest, there is a second public festival which takes place at the same place in April/May: The Munich Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival), which is also known as "Little Oktoberfest." After the Oktoberfest the next people fairs in size in Germany are the Rheinkirmes in Düsseldorf (called Largest Fair on the Rhine) with about 4 million visitors, followed by the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart with about 3 million visitors each year. Duration On account of the duration of the festival and the nice weather, the Oktoberfest has begun in September since 1872. It always opens on the third weekend in September, a Saturday and its duration varies depending on the days of the week each year (Approximately 16 days). The festival has traditionally ended on the first Sunday of October, but if this day is the 1st or 2nd day of October, the festival will go on until the October 3rd (German Unity Day). Oktoberfest Numbers Garbage and Toilets Nearly 1,000 tons of garbage result annually from the Oktoberfest. The mountains of garbage created are hauled away and the ways cleanly washed down each morning. The cleaning is paid for in part by the city of Munich and in part by the sponsors. After 2004 the queues for toilets became so long that the police had to regulate the entrance. To keep traffic moving through the restrooms, men headed for the toilets were directed to the "Pissoir" (giant enclosed grate) if they only needed to urinate. The number of toilets was increased in 2005 by 20%. Now approximately 1,800 toilets and urinals are available. Many Oktoberfest guests visit the quiet stalls in order to use their cell phones. For this reason it was planned in the year 2005 to install a Faraday cage around the toilets and to prevent telephoning with a mobile telephone. However such constructions are not certified in Germany, and so instead signs were placed warning toilet users not to use cell phones in the stalls. The tents There are currently 14 main tents at the Oktoberfest. The tents themselves are semi-permanent structures which are only occupied during the festival. The beer (or wine) served in each is in the accompanying table Price of a Maß One of the biggest talking points among citizens of Munich in the lead up to the Oktoberfest each year is how much a litre of beer will cost. In 2006 the official price range is between €6.95 and €7.50, as opposed to €6.65 and €7.10 the year before. In the past price hikes have been a contentious issue. Souvenir mugs Oktoberfest beer mugs are made from heavy glass and typically have a decorative brewery logo on the side, thus making them very popular souvenirs among visitors. Although it is strictly forbidden to steal the mugs, they can be purchased in the tents at a reasonable price. Buyers are strongly advised to keep the receipts because police are known to search them for stolen mugs even away from the fest area. When police catch someone stealing a mug, the thieves may be fined up to €50. In 2006 220.000 mugs could be retrieved by security forces. See also | ||||||||
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