Klingenmünster Federweißenfest on Karlsplatz

The Federweißenfest on Karlsplatz is organized by the Pfälzerwald-Verein Klingenmünster and traditionally takes place on the second Sunday in October. The venue is the Karlsplatzhütte, one of the characteristic Palatinate Forest huts above Klingenmünster. It is located on the Pfälzer Weinsteig, one of Germany's most famous long-distance hiking trails, and is not accessible by car – visitors arrive exclusively on foot.

Federweißer as a sign of the season

Federweißer – also called Bitzler or Niwwerla in the Palatinate dialect – is the freshly fermenting must from this year's grape harvest, a milky-cloudy, short-lasting wine in transition between must and wine. It is available for only a few weeks a year at the huts and farms in the Palatinate; the Federweißenfest on Karlsplatz marks the highlight of this season in Klingenmünster. It is classically served with Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake) – a combination that is part of the typical Palatinate autumn routine.

The Pfälzerwald-Verein

The Pfälzerwald-Verein e.V., with over 20,000 members and more than 100 local chapters, has been responsible for the maintenance and management of hiking huts in the Palatinate Forest Biosphere Reserve since 1902. The Klingenmünster local chapter maintains the Karlsplatzhütte and opens it regularly on weekends; the Federweißenfest is one of its main events of the year.

Getting there on foot

Several hiking trails lead to the Karlsplatzhütte from Klingenmünster, Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach, or the Liebfrauenberg monastery. The walking time is between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the starting point. Hikers often combine the festival with a longer tour along the Pfälzer Weinsteig or detours to the nearby Burg Landeck.