Hauenstein Chestnut Market (Keschdemarkt)

Keschde – the Palatinate Edible Chestnut

The edible chestnut (Pfälzisch "Keschde") is one of the most characteristic trees in the Palatinate. The Romans already brought it to the Rhine, and old chestnut stands can still be found today, especially in the Pfälzerwald and on the Haardtrand. The Palatinate is one of the few German regions where the edible chestnut is consistently used traditionally – as bread, soup, flour, liqueur, schnapps, wine. The "Keschdewoche" in October celebrates this heritage.

The Oldest Chestnut Market in the Palatinate

Hauenstein hosts the oldest chestnut market in the Palatinate, making it a focal point for the entire region. The market has evolved over four decades and is now a fixture in the Palatinate autumn calendar. It serves as a model for the numerous other chestnut markets that have emerged in other towns in recent decades.

Specialties Featuring Keschde

The culinary diversity surrounding the chestnut is impressive: chestnut sausage (bratwurst with chestnut flour in the mixture), chestnut bread baked in a wood-fired oven, roasted chestnuts from an open fire, chestnut soup, wild boar with chestnuts, chestnut liqueur, and even Palatinate chestnut wine – a sweet dessert wine infused with edible chestnut aromas. Strolling through the market allows you to sample an entire menu.

Sunday Opening Hours 1 PM to 6 PM

The market is designed as a Sunday with shops open. Local businesses open their doors, and shop windows become a stage. This combination of market and retail makes the day attractive: market strolls, shopping, and lingering in cafés and restaurants. The market draws numerous day-trippers from all over the Southwest, often arriving by express trains or buses, and has become a firm highlight of Hauenstein's autumn season.

Hauenstein – Shoemaking Town and Gateway to the Wasgau

For over a century, Hauenstein was the center of the German shoemaking industry and is now primarily known as the gateway to the Wasgau region. With the German Shoe Museum, the famous Teufelsfels rock, and a dense network of hiking trails, the town is a tourist attraction in the region. The Keschdemarkt adds a culinary and cultural dimension to this profile.