Eine Stadt spielt Karl May

Karl May Actors Up Close

"Eine Stadt spielt Karl May" is the link between the world-famous Karl May Festival at Kalkberg and Bad Segeberg's city center. Every year on the second Saturday in August, the pedestrian zone of Hamburger Straße transforms into a Wild West main street: actors from the current Karl May season perform, give autographs, pose for photos, and participate in stage programs.

Connection to the Karl May Festival

The Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg is arguably Germany's most famous open-air theater. Since 1952, the adventures of Winnetou and Old Shatterhand have been staged in the natural amphitheater at Kalkberg – with grand horse appearances, stuntmen, and renowned actors. Annually, hundreds of thousands of spectators flock to the North Hessian spa town. "Eine Stadt spielt Karl May" is the popular extension of this summer theater high culture: you meet the actors not on stage, but on the street.

Program Structure

• 11:00 AM: Start of autograph sessions in the Hamburger Straße pedestrian zone
• Stage program with Karl May actors, musicians, and show acts
• Western atmosphere through street decorations, stalls, and staging
• Children's games and interactive activities
• Special promotions by local businesses with a Western theme

Region: Bad Segeberg, District of Segeberg

Bad Segeberg is the district town of Segeberg in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The town on the Großer Segeberger See lake has around 17,000 inhabitants and is known far beyond the region as a spa town and, above all, as the home of the Karl May Festival. The Kalkberg, a distinctive hill on the outskirts of the town, forms the natural backdrop for the open-air theater. The "Eine Stadt spielt Karl May" day is a Volksfest (folk festival) that brings the Karl May world from the grandstands into the city center.