Multi-day Festival - Rosenfest ends with Rosenkorso - summer solstice in Hessen
With a grand Rosen parade, the Rosenfest in Steinfurth came to an end. The town, known as Rosendorf, celebrated its 48th Rosenfest over the weekend. According to an initial estimate from the city and police, approximately 23,000 visitors attended the festivities. Temperatures were summer-like across Hessen - many people flocked to the outdoors, such as ice cafes, open-air pools, and forests.
The Rosenfest in Steinfurth featured a Rosen exhibition and performances by bands. The highlight on Sunday was the Rosenkorso with a float adorned with over 100,000 flowers. The numerous other floats of local associations - for example, with themes like "Bob the Builder" - were well received by the audience, according to Bjoern Kral, Cultural and Sports Officer of the City of Bad Nauheim.
Visitor decline above 30 degrees
Mr. Kral expressed great satisfaction with this year's Rosenfest. Although there was a slight visitor decline on the hot Saturday afternoon, temperatures above 32 degrees did not significantly impact the festival. The Rosen spectacle was still well-attended on Sunday afternoon. However, the German Weather Service (DWD) warned Hessians for the late Sunday evening and night to Monday of thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rain in Hessen.
The festival in Steinfurth aims to highlight the long-standing tradition of rose cultivation in the town. Families have been growing roses there for around 150 years. Steinfurth considers itself Germany's oldest Rosendorf. The history of rose cultivation began in the town in the Wetterau region in 1868 with knowledge brought from England about the plant.
Once over 200 rose farms
A business that quickly flourished: Around the turn of the century, several dozen families turned to rose cultivation, and by 1930, there were over 200 farms. In 1970, up to 14 million plants were grown. To this day, roses are still cultivated in the village, although the economic significance of rose cultivation, according to the local rose museum, is no longer as prominent as in the past.
The DWD advised Hessian women and men to reduce the strain on their bodies during the hot summer by avoiding direct sunlight, physical exertion, and alcohol and to drink enough water. A cool bath or shower, light and airy clothing, and a head covering can also help keep the body cool.
However, on Monday, the DWD forecasted pleasant temperatures between 24 and 27 degrees in Hessen. Thunderstorms and heavy rain were possible on Tuesday with peak temperatures of 24 to 26 degrees.
- Despite the heat wave, many people chose to spend their leisure time outdoors in Bad Nauheim, visiting ice cafes, open-air pools, and forests during the hotsummer weekend.
- The Communal Rose Festival, or Rosenfest, in Steinfurth is deeply rooted in the town's leisure activities and pays tribute to its long-standing tradition of rose cultivation, dating back to 1868.
- The festivities included a Rosen exhibition and performances by bands, along with a Rosenkorso on Sunday, featuring a float adorned with over 100,000 flowers and a variety of floats from local associations.
- Hesse's police and city officials estimated that approximately 23,000 people attended the Feast of Roses, making it a bustling leisure activity for the diverse crowd over the weekend.
- Temperatures soared to summer-like figures over the weekend, but did not deter visitors from partaking in the Rosenfest, despite a slight drop in attendees on a particularly hot Saturday afternoon.
- In response to the high temperatures, the German Weather Service advised visitors to take precautions, including reducing physical exertion, avoiding alcohol, and staying hydrated, to maintain leisure enjoyment despite the heat.
- After the weekend's Rosenfest, the residents of Bad Nauheim and its surrounding communities looked forward to another week of leisure activities, as the DWD forecasted pleasant temperatures for the upcoming week, making outdoor explorations of the forests and gardens of Steinfurth all the more inviting.
