Darßer Tonnenabschlagen Wieck a.Darß

A Custom from the Baltic Sea Peninsula

The Darßer Tonnenabschlagen is one of the most characteristic traditional festivals on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula in the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Wieck a.Darß, it traditionally takes place on the last Sunday in June and is the village's major summer equestrian festival.

Riders, Clubs, and a Herring Barrel

At the center is a herring barrel hung up to four meters high. Riders gallop underneath and try to smash the barrel with wooden clubs. Three kings emerge from the competition: The Bodenkönig knocks out the bottom of the barrel, the Stäbenkönig hits the last stave of the barrel's body, and the Tonnenkönig knocks the last piece of the barrel off the hook. For the youngest participants, there is a separate children's Tonnenabschlagen with smaller, handmade barrels.

A Folk Festival with History

The origins of the custom probably date back to the period after the Thirty Years' War or the end of Swedish rule; one interpretation connects it to fishermen once having to pay a tithe of their catch. Today, the Tonnenabschlagen is a colorful folk festival: Around the equestrian competition, folk music, folk dance, amusement rides, and market stalls create a festive atmosphere throughout the village.

Living Cultural Heritage

The Tonnenabschlagen is maintained in several places on the peninsula – besides Wieck, also in Born, Wustrow, Ahrenshoop, Prerow, and Dierhagen. It is an expression of a village culture closely linked to the sea and fishing and is part of the region's intangible cultural heritage.