Sunday we spent the morning
at the Walkenried classic car show which was very impressive, although I am not
sure my daughter Hannah would agree. Fortunately there was just enough to keep
her entertained.
The
show displayed classic cars, tractors, motorbikes. It contained a garage sale,
a small funfair and plenty of refreshment tents. I really enjoyed this show and
was very impressed with the amount of vehicles on display. I could easily off
spent a few more hours here but I had promised to take the kids to a lido in
the afternoon; which was a nice way to finish a great weekend with the kids.
On Saturday we went to the Vietnamese Lantern Festival at Wernigerode. This two day event was to celebrate the new
town linking between Wernigerode and Hoi An in Vietnam.
It was nice to see the colorful lanterns hanging across the market square with the historic town hall
as a backdrop.
We arrived to see the
evening show with a dragon dance, drum show, theater, and kung fu demonstration.
We
tasted the Vietnamese cuisine being served, with the sweet spicy chicken being the yummiest with my kids.
Over the weekend my home
town of Bad Sachsa held its annual Schützenfest (Marksmen Festival). This was a three day festival with a parade
through the town on Sunday. The Bad
Sachsa Riflemen club dates back to 1814 and this annual event is to find the 'Schützenkönig'
("Marksmen King").
The history of the Schützenfest
in Germany can be traced back to King Henry I, who sanctioned for the first
time in the “Defensive Constitution of the Towns” law the use of local
paramilitary associations to defend themselves from gangs of marauders.
In Germany the largest Schützenfest
is held in Hanover with more than 5,000 marksmen competing. The “Parade of the
Marksmen”, consists of 10,000 participants, 60 floats, marching bands and can
stretch 12 km long.
The festival in Bad Sachsa
is a slightly smaller affair, but rich in history. The festival starts on Friday evening with the
laying of a wreath at the memorial in front of St. Nikolai Church, then a
torchlight procession through the streets.
On Saturday its children’s day with their own parade and a special
afternoon at the fairground with reduce prices; followed in the evening with a disco.
On Sunday it starts with
the Kings Breakfast at 10.00, while the last minute touches are made for the
parade. Other rifleman clubs from the neighbouring towns are invited to take
part as well as local clubs and associations. The parade starts at 1.00 and
leads through the town, stopping at the town hall to be presented with the
flags and banners by the mayor. The parade ends at the fairground by the riflemen
club -house where basically a party starts until very late.
Sadly this year the
fireworks had to be cancelled last minute due to the current heat wave. There was
fear that with the ground so dry; sparks could easily cause a serious fire.
Yesterday I spent the
afternoon at the ruins of Scharfels Castle in Scharzfeld, researching the area
for a book that I am writing about the castles of the Harz. The castle sits 150 meters above the Oder
Valley and remained an impregnable fortress for most of its history.
It was
only during the,” Seven Years War” that it was finally captured by some 6,000
French troops, during a ten-day siege. The fact that the castle was so
successfully defended for 10 days by a force of 100 infantry, 60 gunners and
250 invalids from Hanover against an army of 6,000 goes to show just how well
this castle was built and designed. After only four days occupation the French
army blew up the castle, and since then it has laid in ruins.
The remains left include
some outer walls, old well and the imposing 20 meter high dolomite rock
outcrop. Admission is free and it’s open all year round. There is a small
restaurant with a terrace giving good views over the local countryside. What I really like is how nature has been allowed to reclaim this one mighty fortress and how the two merge seamlessly together.
Details of the book I am
currently writing will be given later, but it is hoped that it will be ready by
the autumn.
