Heiligenstadt Summer Kirchweih

Summer Kirchweih in the Franconian Switzerland

The Heiligenstadt Summer Kirchweih is the main Kirchweih of the market town of Heiligenstadt i.OFr. and one of the more well-known Kirchweih dates in the Franconian Switzerland. It takes place every year at the end of June, thus opening, in a way, the peak season of the Upper Franconian Kirchweih season – that close network of smaller and medium-sized Kerwas that take place almost every weekend in the Franconian Switzerland from May to October.

Festival Atmosphere Around the Market Square

The historic market square of Heiligenstadt with its typical Franconian sandstone buildings, along with the festival grounds on the outskirts of town, are the focal point. Several catering stands run by local clubs, a festival tent, a shooting gallery, a carousel, and candy stalls form the usual Kerwa ensemble. Fresh lager beer from the surrounding breweries of the Franconian Switzerland is served – a region with the highest brewery density in the world.

Market Town Heiligenstadt – Gateway to the Franconian Switzerland

Heiligenstadt in Upper Franconia is a market town with a good 3,400 inhabitants in the Bamberg district in Upper Franconia (State of Bavaria). The market municipality is located in the heart of the Franconian Switzerland – that low mountain range between Bamberg, Bayreuth, and Nuremberg, which is one of Germany's most beautiful natural landscapes with its karst rocks, caves, castles, narrow valleys, and dense brewery landscape. Heiligenstadt comprises numerous districts, many of which maintain their own Kirchweih.

Over a Dozen Kirchweihen Around Heiligenstadt

The Summer Kirchweih is the central, but by far not the only Kerwa in the market town: Tiefenpölz (May), Siegritz (mid-June), Traindorf (early July), Herzogenreuth (early July), Teuchatz (mid and late July), Stücht, Brunn, Hohenpölz (August), Leinleiter (September), Oberngrub (Autumn), Heiligenstadt Autumn Kirchweih (October) – a complete Kirchweih calendar for the entire region.

Tradition and Kerwa Customs

The Franconian Kerwa thrives on typical customs: the raising of the Kerwabaum (festival tree) for the opening, the Kerwaboum dance, communal songs, and the abundant enjoyment of Franconian cellar beer. The Heiligenstadt festival, with its Sunday mass, morning pint (Frühschoppen), festival parade, and dance evening, follows this classic pattern. Anyone who wants to experience authentic Upper Franconian Kerwa culture in a spectacular natural landscape will find themselves in the right place in Heiligenstadt at the end of June.