Landshut Wedding

The Landshut Wedding ( _de. Landshuter Hochzeit) is one of the largest historical pageants in Europe. Countless visitors from all over the world have taken part, or have been spectators of the "Landshuter Hochzeit 1475", a pageant held in Landshut, Germany. More than 2,000 participants in mediaeval costumes bring the festival to life to recreate the Late Middle Ages. It commemorates the wedding between Hedwig (Jadwiga), the Polish King's daughter, and Georg, the son of the Duke of Landshut.

Every four years the mediaeval wedding is reenacted, and everyone gets carried away with mediaeval jousting, pageantry, feasting and wedding processions for a short period in the summer. The next reenactment takes place in June/July 2009.

History

The festival is held in memory of the wedding between George of Bavaria, the son of the Bavarian duke, and Jadwiga Jagiellon, daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland, in 1475.

The wedding was negotiated in 1474 in Cracow through legations. The marriage was of importance, because it was seen as a strong alliance against the Ottoman Turks. At the time, most royal marriages were not entered into because of love, but because of political motivations. It took the bride two months to travel to Landshut, where she was received by princes and bishops.

The bridal pair were married in St. Martin's Church, and the service was officiated by Salzburg's Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr. Afterwards the bridal procession proceeded through the Old Town to the Town Hall. Ten thousand people are said to have attended the affair and they were provided food and drink by the young duke's father.

Livestock eaten at the original festival
* 320 bullocks
* 1,500 sheep
* 1,300 lambs
* 500 calves
* 40,000 chickens

The historic event is notable for its detailed records yielding a complete chronicle of the wedding days. In 1902 a society called "Die Förderer" (the sponsors) was founded to re-animate the Landshuter Hochzeit, one year later the first bridal procession took place.

Normal Schedule of Events

Wedding Procession

Time: Sunday morning

Place: Dreifaltigkeitsplatz, Altstadt, Postplatz, Bischof- Sailer- Platz, Neustadt, the same way back to the "Turnierplatz"

Around two thousand people of Landshut take part in the wedding procession. The guests, such as noblemen, citizens, servants and poor people move through the city to the church of St. Martin where the bishop of Salzburg celebrated the marriage ceremony in 1475. After that the procession ends at the Turnierplatz (Tournament place).

Games of riders and knights

Time: Sunday morning (after the wedding march)

Place: Tunierplatz (Place of challenge)

The wedding march leads to the lawn of challenge (Wiesmahd) on which the bride was greeted at once by her groom. There young noblemen fight in an exciting challenge for the prize of honor which is given from the bride while the other noble guests take place at a great table.

Life in the quarters

Time: Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening

Place: Quarters at the place of challenge

The different groups created their quarters near the challenge place, where the guests of the wedding end the day with music and good food.

Festival performances

Time: evenings, Sunday morning

Place: "Rathaus - Prunksaal" (Town - Hall)

Visitors witness the preparing of the wedding, as is imagined by a group of actors. Author Leopold Ahlsen describes in a comedy the bride's difficult trip from Krakau to Landshut. Death and plague were the constant companions of the march from Poland to Germany.

Dance performances

Time: evenings

Place: After the festival performances in the town hall

At the festival evening the groom and his bride met with the noble guests for dancing. Different groups show their dances like for example the exotic dance of the moors.

Festival games in the nightly quarters

Time: Saturday evening

Place: Place of challenge

The day before the wedding thousands of guests have reached Landshut after a long trip and have to pass the time until the wedding day. They are in their quarters, in bars or look at games and shows of different artists like tumblers and fire-eaters.

Music in 1475

Time: Saturday and Sunday morning

Place: Residenz

The music band "Landshuter Hofkapelle" offers music of the 15th century as it used to be played in bars and especially at noble festivals.

"Laudate Dominum"

Time: Saturday evening

Place: Church St. Jodok

A choir, called "Ad libitum" perform a concert. It focuses on works of famous composers like Pierre de la Rue, Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Pres, who was one of the most significant composers in the Middle Ages in Europe. The performance in St. Jodok also comprises short instrumental pieces.

Masquerade

Time: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday evenings

Place: Residenz (residence)

Musicians and dancers of the Landshut are invited to an atmospheric evening in courtyard of the residence. They try to point out the history of Mr. Asinus, a farmer who became a nobleman.

Taverna in the narrow of Stecken

Time: Thursday and Friday evenings

Place: Salzstadel

The proprietor of the Taverna offers different things to eat and good wine or beer. Comedians, called "Joculatores" celebrate an evening full of voluptuousness to put some life into the party.

Meeting in the old part of town

Time: Saturday evening and Sunday morning

Place: Old Town ("Altstadt")

At this weekend some groups liven up the old part of town with music and dancing like in former times. Comedians try to support the atmosphere with their coarse jokes.

Actors and participants

The real heroes of the "Landshuter Hochzeit" are the citizens who act as bishops, aristocrats, bride, and bridegroom. Without these people, the festival couldn't take place. The actors are chosen from a commission of the association "Die Förderer". Every person who wants to become a member of this association and who wants to take part in this big event has to live near Landshut. The "Förderer" has its beginning in 1903, when it was established by the restaurant owner Georg Trippel and the factory owner Joseph Linnbrunner. After this year, the festival took place every 4 years, with breaks during the first and second world war. So far, the members of "Die Förderer" rose from 855 to 5000 during the years 1973 to 2004.

However it is not only the actors who delve into the medieval times. It is custom among Landshut males to let the hair grow longer starting months before the event to match better with the medieval fashion. Every citizen of Landshut will dress in medieval garments during the days (even wrist wratches are frowned upon) and the city decoration will be retrofitted to a great amount. Visitors including media reporters are asked to find an outfit that remains at least a little bit close to this special time. Along with the growing fascination for the Middle Ages in the late 20. century the Landshut wedding became a well known mediaeval festival with great effects on economics in the region as well as the culture traditions and its aspects of living history.

Pictures