ANNOTOPIA Bad Mergentheim 2026

Three Festival Days at the Deutschordensschloss

ANNOTOPIA — the name combines the Latin "anno" (year) with the Greek "topia" (places) — is a historical reenactment and cosplay festival that has been taking place in various locations in Southern Germany since 2021. Bad Mergentheim has been part of it from the very beginning and, in 2026, will open the ANNOTOPIA season for its sixth edition. The venue is the mighty Deutschordensschloss on the edge of Bad Mergentheim's old town — the seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1525 to 1809, now a museum with English landscape gardens, a chapel, and a library.

Reenactment Camps, Cosplay Promenade, and Stage Program

For three days, numerous reenactment groups from all over Europe will gather on the castle grounds: Vikings from Scandinavia, Roman legionaries, high medieval knights with horses and chainmail armor, Saxon-Franconian peasant households, Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights (fitting the main theme of the Teutonic Order). In addition, cosplayers will present themselves in intricately crafted costumes from Tolkien's Middle-earth, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Final Fantasy, and fantasy literature. The mix — pure history meets modern fantasy culture — makes ANNOTOPIA unique.

Program: Demonstrations, Concerts, and Live Role-Playing

On the three stages, bardic dance, medieval folk bands, belly dancers, stilt walkers, falconry displays, and sword fights alternate. Highlights include the evening knight tournaments in the grand courtyard and the nightly fire shows. Live role-playing game (LARP) sessions take place in the gardens and can be viewed by visitors. The medieval craft market offers chainmail, drinking horns, leather goods, blacksmith work, mead, and cosplay accessories.

Season Opener 2026 — First Stop on the ANNOTOPIA Tour

ANNOTOPIA Bad Mergentheim 2026 marks not only the sixth edition at this location but also the traditional opening of the ANNOTOPIA season — after which the festival moves on to other historical sites in Southern Germany. The organizer is noa entertainment GmbH from Southern Germany, which has been developing reenactment and medieval market concepts for castles and museums for years. In Bad Mergentheim, the company works closely with the State Palace and Museum Association.

Bad Mergentheim — Spa Town and Teutonic Order Residence

Bad Mergentheim (approx. 25,000 inhabitants) in the Main-Tauber district is located between Würzburg and Heilbronn — a spa town with a baroque old town, thermal springs, and the historical function as the Grand Master's residence of the Teutonic Order. The Deutschordensschloss on Schlossplatz now houses the Deutschordensmuseum, whose collection spans from the Order's founding in 1190 in Acre to the secularization in 1809. During ANNOTOPIA, there will also be a Sunday with extended shopping hours in Bad Mergentheim's city center.