17th Drebkauer Brunnenfest

A Fairy, a Fountain, a Tradition Since 2006

The Drebkauer Brunnenfest is a modern tradition with ancient roots. Since 2006, the year the market square was renovated, a Drebkauer Brunnenfee emerges from the town fountain every year on the first weekend of September — freshly elected from young women of the region. She represents the town for one year at regional festivals, opens the Bürger-Schützenfest (citizens' marksmen's festival), and has become a living figure of identification for this small town in the Niederlausitz.

17 Years of Brunnenfest — A Success Story

What began as a market square opening festival is now a two-day Stadtfest (town festival) with supra-regional fame. The festival is organized jointly by the Mayor, the Drebkau clubs, and volunteers. In 2014, the 14th International Folklore Meeting of the Sorbian/Wendish region was incorporated into the Brunnenfest — a sign of the cultural significance that Drebkau holds in the Niederlausitz. Drebkau is called Drjowk in Lower Sorbian — and is part of the Sorbian settlement area.

What You'll Experience at the Brunnenfest

• Election and crowning of the new Drebkauer Brunnenfee on Saturday evening
• Sunday morning: Church service on the market square
• Free beer serving from the town fountain — tapped by the Mayor and the Fountain Fairy
• Stage program with regional bands and a Sorbian folklore group
• Large flea and antique market around the market square
• Vintage car meet-up with historic cars and motorcycles
• Field kitchen meet-up — historic military and forestry kitchens, goulash and pea soup
• Children's program with carousel and bouncy castle

Drebkau and its Sorbian Heritage

Drebkau is located in the Spree-Neiße district, in the heartland of the Lower Sorbian Lausitz region. The region maintains its bilingual identity to this day: alongside German, Lower Sorbian is also present on town signs, in schools, and in festival traditions. The Brunnenfest reflects this heritage in the form of Sorbian music, folk costumes, and sometimes Sorbian announcements — a unique feature not found in this form at any other Brandenburg town festival.

Getting There and the Region

Drebkau is situated between Cottbus and Senftenberg, in the heart of the Lausitzer Seenland (Lusatian Lake District). Visitors to the Brunnenfest should definitely plan a detour to the Geierswalder Seen or the Cottbus Ostsee — the reclaimed open-cast mines are among Germany's most unusual bathing destinations.