Flensburger Apfelfahrt & Apple Market

From the Apple Ship to the Harbour Festival

The Apfelfahrt tells a forgotten story: until well into the 20th century, farmers from Gravenstein, Sundewitt, and the Angeln region brought their apple harvest to the city via the Flensburg Fjord in small ships. Museumshafen Flensburg e.V. rediscovered this piece of harbour life in the 1990s and established the annual autumn festival — the Apfelfahrt has since combined maritime tradition, German-Danish neighbourliness, and enjoyment.

Friday: Sailing Trip to Glücksburg

On Friday, the traditional ships set sail from the Museum Harbour around 1:00 PM. With a northerly or easterly wind, they sail over to Glücksburg, where the season's apples await at the Schlosshafen. Around one tonne is loaded — anyone who wants to join on board as a fellow sailor is welcome for a donation. The ships return to Flensburg around 5:00 PM.

Saturday and Sunday: Apple Market at the Bohlwerk

The weekend is dedicated to the Apple Market at the Bohlwerk, paying tribute to the Danish-German market tradition. From 10 AM to 7 PM (Saturday), apples of various varieties, freshly pressed apple juice, smoked fish from the fjord, candied almonds, bratwurst, and waffles are offered. Shanty choirs, folk musicians, and accordion players perform on stage — a soundscape that fits the historic atmosphere of the Museum Harbour.

Flensburg Museum Harbour

The Flensburg Museum Harbour is a living maritime monument: over 30 historic sailing ships, galleasses, tjalks, and flat-bottomed boats are permanently anchored at the Bohlwerk and on the Schiffbrücke. The association maintains this fleet on a voluntary basis and, in addition to the Apfelfahrt, also organises the Rum Regatta at Pentecost and the Dampf-Rundum festival. Here you experience a piece of Northern Germany that has long since given way to modernity in Hamburg, Lübeck, or Bremen.