Herrnsheimer Kerb

Kerwe — a Rheinhessen custom

Kerwe or Kerb stands in Palatinate-Rheinhessen for church consecration: the annual festival in memory of the consecration of the parish church. In Herrnsheim, the Kerb is traditionally celebrated in summer, immediately following the great wine festival in the castle courtyard. The Kerb is at once a religious festival, a secular folk festival and a social highlight for the district: residents, former Herrnsheim citizens and friendly clubs meet over three festival days.

Festive church service and Kerb tree

The Kerb traditionally begins with a festive church service in the Herrnsheim parish church and the ceremonial raising of the Kerb tree, a decorated fir with ribbons and symbols. The Kerb lads and the Kerb couple are introduced as part of a small ceremony; they are responsible for the cultivation of customs around the Kerb and take on traditional functions such as raising the tree, accompanying the festival parade and singing the Kerb songs together.

Castle courtyard and Herrnsheim district

Worms-Herrnsheim is a historically particularly interesting Worms district with the neoclassical Herrnsheim Castle, built by the Heyl zu Herrnsheim family, a large English garden and the late Gothic parish church. During the Kerb, both the castle courtyard and the village centre are used; festival tent, amusement park and club stalls are concentrated in the central festival area.

Small amusement park

A traditional element of the Herrnsheimer Kerb is the small amusement park with children's carousel, small Ferris wheel, shooting gallery, sweets stand and a bull-riding simulator. The format is deliberately manageable and family-oriented, far from the size of the Backfischfest or Wurstmarkt — but precisely for this reason the Kerb is appreciated by families.

Extension of the Worms summer calendar

The Herrnsheimer Kerb extends the Worms summer events calendar by three lively festival days and bridges the time until the great Backfischfest on the Worms festival ground at the end of August. For Worms citizens, the Kerb is a popular district event; for Herrnsheim residents, it is the annual meeting point at which the district community is most visible.