150 Years of the Großelfingen Volunteer Fire Brigade

A Traditional Club Anniversary in the Ries

In 2026, the Freiwillige Feuerwehr Großelfingen (Großelfingen Volunteer Fire Brigade) looks back on 150 years since its founding – an anniversary traditionally celebrated in the Lower Bavarian-Swabian region with a multi-day club festival. Großelfingen, a small village in the fertile Nördlinger Ries, belongs to the market town of Wallerstein and is part of the Donau-Ries district (Bavaria, Swabia).

A Classic Fire Brigade Founding Festival

Fire brigade anniversaries in Bavaria follow a traditional sequence. The program typically includes:

• Beer tapping on Friday with marquee opening and live music
• Party night on Saturday with a Bavarian Forest or cover band in the marquee
• Festive church service on Sunday, followed by a ceremonial parade of patron clubs and neighboring fire brigades through the village
• Ceremonial act with the presentation of honorary medals for deserving members
• Club evening / Festival finale

The 2026 celebrations are listed in the event calendar of the Donau-Ries District Fire Brigade Association and in the Wallerstein event calendar as "150th Founding Festival FF Großelfingen".

Großelfingen, Wallerstein, and the Donau-Ries District

Großelfingen is located in the Donau-Ries district (Swabia administrative region) in the market town of Wallerstein, right on the edge of the Nördlinger Ries – one of Europe's most famous meteorite craters. The fire brigade is – as in so many small villages in the Ries – the central club that shapes social life. A 150th-anniversary celebration is therefore not just a fire brigade event, but also a village festival.

A Meeting Point for Fire Brigades from the Ries

Patron fire brigades and neighboring clubs from all over the Ries and the Donau-Ries district are expected for the parade on Sunday. In particular, the fire brigades from the Wallerstein districts (Wallerstein, Munzingen, Birkhausen) as well as from Nördlingen, Maihingen, and the surrounding communities traditionally march in the Großelfingen parade.