Rudolstädter Vogelschießen

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In the year of 1722 a shooting match took place first time at the old festival place of Rudolstadt. It became famous and a lot of visitors from all over thuringia came to take part or to see the shows.
Also the dukes of that time mixed with the people to have a look at the interesting show of the shooting match, in which shooters use a cross-box to shoot at a wooden bird. Every year the shooting-king gave a big party.
Also the famous author Friedrich Schiller was one of the very important persons, visiting the traditional festival.
In the meantime the festival became bigger and a lot of showman, exhibitors and carusells come to Rudolstadt every year. So the old festival square on the former meadow was to small. So the "Vogelschießen" changed in 1960 to the opposite bank of Saale river to a bigger festival meadow the socalled "Bleichwiese". So the Rudolstadian Summerfestival "Vogelschießen" developed to the biggest folk festival of that kind in thuringia. It takes place every year in the last 2 weeks of August.

Rudolstadtian Summerfestival Vogelschießen

In the meantime there are so much applicants of attractions and showman, comming from all districts of Germany and want to take part in the festival, that the new place becomes to small.
The visitors also come not only from the thuringian region, but also from far remote districts.
Local frying-sausage-stands belong just in the tribe program like the great firework on last Friday of the festival.

Until 1989 the "Vogelschießen-Fair" has been the special highlight for a lot of visitors and Rudolstadtians, because at that fair some special products could be bought, which were very rare in normally shops. In the times of G.D.R. customers came to the fair place long before it opened and stand in a very big line of people to buy some of the rare articles, like oilcloth and other things of the daily needs. A lot of that products you only could buy sometimes in Berlin or if you coincidental were in the right shop, if the products just were delivered.
After the socialistic time the marksman move on the 2. Sunday of the festival moved more into the foreground again.

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