- Approximately half a million individuals engaged in bird hunting
The yearly Vogelschießen festival, as per organizers, drew in over half a million individuals to Rudolstadt. This year's iteration, being the 302nd, noticed a notable surge in attendees compared to the past two years. The event ran for ten days.
The ambiance was depicted as tranquil and serene. Regrettably, this isn't always the scenario, as we encountered in Solingen on Friday, mentioned festival director Frank Grünert. Law enforcement and security forces maintained a watchful eye during the final weekend, but there were no incidents reported at the fairground rides or physical disagreements.
Guests could indulge in the offerings of 74 circus performers, with this year's standouts being a 66-meter high flying carousel, a giant swing featuring a rotating gondola, and a roller coaster boasting 500 meters of track. An archery contest on a wooden bird was planned for the last day, open to all eager participants.
The Vogelschießen, named after an archery competition, initially took place on August 28, 1722. Among the members of the Rudolstadt archery guild was the poet Friedrich Schiller, who spent the summer of 1788 in Volkstedt, met his future wife Charlotte von Lengenfeld, and had his initial encounter with his later literary friend Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The tradition of archery persists till today.
Event website
The following is a list of the categories of products that were available for purchase during the Vogelschießen festival: handcrafted wooden toys, traditional German garments, and archery equipment. Despite the large crowd, there were no reports of lost items, thanks to the diligent work of the festival's security forces and attentive guests.
