150 Years Volunteer Fire Brigade Dürrenmungenau (Abenberg) – Founding Festival

150 Years of the Dürrenmungenau Brigade

The Volunteer Fire Brigade Dürrenmungenau is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026. Dürrenmungenau is a district of the Middle Franconian town of Abenberg in the Roth district (Bavaria), southwest of Schwabach. The town of Abenberg is known for its medieval castle, the bobbin lace museum, and its Jakobsweg (Way of St. James) pilgrim accommodation; Dürrenmungenau is located on the outskirts and forms the municipal community with the other districts of Abenberg.

Three-Day Anniversary Festival

The founding festival takes place from Friday, June 19th to Sunday, June 21st, 2026. The venue is the festival tent in Dürrenmungenau. The FFW Dürrenmungenau is the organizer, supported by the Roth District Fire Brigade Association (KFV Roth) and partner associations.

Large-Scale District Depot Exercise

A special feature of the anniversary program is a large-scale exercise at the district depot involving 62 firefighters. Such exercises serve as a demonstration and training format – fire brigades from several municipalities train together on complex operational scenarios (firefighting, technical assistance, rescue) in a realistic environment at the district depot. For the public, these large-scale exercises are attractive public demonstrations and part of the festival program.

Festive Church Service, Parade, Festival Tent

As is customary for Franconian founding festivals, the program follows a proven structure:

• Friday: Festival opening with beer tapping ceremony, festival tent evening with live music
• Saturday: Large-scale district depot exercise; festival tent dance evening with a band
• Sunday: Festive church service and procession, followed by a grand parade through Dürrenmungenau / Abenberg with partner associations, music bands, and floats, festival tent 'Frühschoppen' (morning pint), festival finale

Dürrenmungenau and Middle Franconian Fire Brigade Traditions

Middle Franconian fire brigade festivals are a central element of community life in the small villages of the Roth district. They combine association traditions, social gatherings, intergenerational exchange, and the culinary enjoyment of Franconian specialties into an identity-building weekend.