150 Years Volunteer Fire Brigade Bollstadt

Bollstadt — A Village Between Härtsfeld and Ries

Bollstadt is located in the southwestern district of Donau-Ries, about 3 kilometers northeast of the main town of Amerdingen, in the hilly transition zone between the Härtsfeld and the Nördlinger Ries crater. With just under 860 inhabitants, Bollstadt is small but rich in tradition — and the Volunteer Fire Brigade Bollstadt, alongside the parish church and the local sports club, is one of the pillars of village life. The brigade was founded in 1876, during a wave of fire brigade foundations across Bavaria in the mid-1870s.

Three Days of Festivities on the Sports Field

The celebration weekend runs from Friday, May 1st, 2026 (May Day holiday), to Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, on the Bollstadt sports field. May 1st is ideal for a Bavarian club anniversary: a public holiday, Maypole tradition, and an optimal start to a three-day program. Fire brigades from the entire Donau-Ries district and beyond are expected.

Musical Centerpiece: Kapelle Josef Menzl

On Saturday evening, May 2nd, 2026, Kapelle Josef Menzl will take center stage. The Egerländer brass music ensemble, originally from the Upper Palatinate, is one of the most renowned of its kind in southern Germany and regularly fills festival tents with thousands of guests. Tickets for the evening of entertainment have been available since summer 2025 via TicketPAY. The Eglingen Music Association will also be performing — proof of how deeply the Swabian-Bavarian brass music tradition is rooted in the region.

2026 — A Year of Celebrations in Donau-Ries

Bollstadt is not the only fire brigade celebrating its anniversary in 2026 in the region. The Donau-Ries District Fire Brigade Association lists a whole series of 150th-anniversary celebrations: Buchdorf (June 26-28), Aufhausen, Enkingen (July 2-5), Baldingen, and others. A remarkable concentration due to the wave of fire brigade foundations across Bavaria in the 1870s, creating a true 'fire brigade festival year' in Donau-Ries in 2026.

Bollstadt and its Surroundings

Visitors to the festival will also get to know one of Swabia's most scenic areas: the Nördlinger Ries — arguably Europe's best-known and best-preserved meteorite crater, formed 14.5 million years ago. Nördlingen, with its perfectly preserved medieval city wall, is about 15 kilometers away. Bollstadt itself has a St. Martin's Church and has been part of the municipality of Amerdingen since the 1978 municipal reform.