28th Horb Knight Games

Baden-Württemberg's Largest Medieval Festival

The Horb Knight Games have been held every two years since 1998 and have developed into the largest medieval festival in all of Baden-Württemberg. Over 30,000 visitors travel from all over southern Germany, as well as from France and Switzerland, to immerse themselves in the world of knights, maidens, and minstrels for three days. The venue — the historic Old Town of Horb am Neckar with its half-timbered facades, the Neckar footbridge, and the city wall towers — provides the perfect backdrop.

Historical Reenactments and Knight Tournaments

The heart of the Knight Games are the jousting tournaments with real horses: lance duels, equestrian combat choreography, and show performances take place several times a day in the central tournament arena. Renowned reenactment groups from Germany, Austria, and Poland compete, delivering professional, historically informed stagings.

In addition, the Horb Treaties of 1498 are reenacted — a historical event where King Maximilian I. signed important treaties in Horb. The accompanying parade with King Maximilian's retinue draws thousands to the streets every year.

Medieval Market and Crafts

Over 150 market stalls offer blacksmith work, leather goods, medieval clothing, mead, bows and swords, candles, jewelry, and, of course, hearty food such as wild boar roasted on a spit, stick bread, suckling pig, mead, and beer from clay mugs. Minstrels, jesters, and fire-eaters provide entertainment between the stalls.

Children in the Middle Ages

A dedicated area is aimed at families: Knight games for children, archery, sword workshops, face painting stations, squire tournaments, and a storyteller. Children under 12 have free admission.

Horb as a Setting

Horb am Neckar is located at the southern end of the Black Forest, in the district of Freudenstadt. The city has largely retained its medieval appearance: the Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross, the Schurkenturm (Rogue's Tower), the water tower, and the Neckar bridge form the historical framework. A military camp with tents, campfires, and daily medieval life is set up on the Schütteinsel island in the Neckar for the Knight Games.