Altenkessel Wood Carving Days

Three Days of Chainsaws, Sculptures, and Competition

When the Großwaldstraße in Altenkessel smells of freshly sawn wood at the end of May and the noise of 20 chainsaws running simultaneously echoes across the SC 07 club grounds, the Altenkessel Wood Carving Days are in full swing again. What sounds like an unusual sight has been an established festival with supra-regional impact for years: Around 20 professional chainsaw artists come from all over Germany (and occasionally from Austria, Switzerland, and France) to create sculptures from tree trunks for three days – and to compete in the German Speed Carving Championship (DSCM).

What is Speed Carving?

Speed carving is the discipline where chainsaw sculptors create works in a limited time – often 60 minutes or less for a finished figure. It has become a sport in its own right with national and international competitions. In Altenkessel, over the three days, there are two high-calibre qualifying rounds for the German championship – the second of which has the condition "chainsaw only allowed, no grinding tools, no markers" – a technical acid test that only the most experienced carvers can pass.

Commissioned Works and Auctions

Outside the competition rounds, the artists work on commissioned pieces, often at the request of visitors (animals, fairy tale characters, coats of arms, garden sculptures). The finished works are then immediately auctioned off – the auction pavilion is the center of attention on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Some sculptures change hands for several hundred to two thousand euros; a portion of the proceeds goes back to the Altenkessel citizens' initiative.

From Tree Trunk to Sculpture — Live

The process is fascinating: In front of the carvers are trunks of oak, poplar, or linden wood, often 1.5 to 2 meters high. With chainsaws of various sizes – from large saws for rough shaping to mini carving saws for details – a finished figure emerges from the raw wood in hours. Some artists work figuratively (eagles, wolves, bears, dogs, dragons), others abstractly sculptural. The audience sits around, can ask questions between sawing sessions, and watch how a work of art develops from a tree trunk.

Family Program

In addition to the competitions, there is a family program: Children can work on small wooden figures with woodworking tools (no chainsaws for children!), do crafts, and enjoy food from the club grill. The citizens' association and SC 07 Altenkessel provide catering – Schwenker (sausage), sausages, beer, coffee/cake.

Altenkessel — A District of Saarbrücken

Altenkessel is a district of the state capital Saarbrücken, located in the west of the city on the edge of the Saarkohlenwald forest. A classic residential district of Saarbrücken with a vibrant club life – SC 07 Altenkessel and the Altenkessel citizens' initiative jointly organize the festival. Those arriving by car from Saarbrücken-Mitte (15 min.) or Saarlouis (20 min.) will find an unusual mix of family festival, competition, and art event on the club grounds.

Atmosphere

The sound and smell carpet is unmistakable: this characteristic mix of chainsaw noise, wood dust in the air, the scent of freshly sawn oak, interspersed with the aroma of grilled sausages from the club grill and the clinking of beer bottles. Anyone who dedicates even an hour to the Wood Carving Days gets to know a world that is otherwise invisible in the Saarbrücken cultural landscape – and might even take a small wooden owl home with them on the passenger seat.