Grand Medieval Spectacle and Jousting Tournament Posterstein Castle

Posterstein Castle — Eastern Thuringia's Medieval Bastion

Posterstein Castle, in the Altenburger Land district, is one of the best-preserved medieval castle complexes in Eastern Thuringia. Today, it houses the Posterstein Castle Museum, which, in addition to its research on salon culture, is also dedicated to preserving medieval traditions. The grand jousting tournament at Pentecost, alongside the Advent family day "Advent in the Salon," is the castle museum's second major festival event — and the largest: a three-day mass event with thousands of visitors.

Wenzel's Knighthood — High-Level Equestrian Tournaments

The central feature of the festival is the jousting tournaments on horseback by the group "Wenzel's Knighthood." The group is among the most renowned equestrian reenactment ensembles in the German-speaking world and competes in several disciplines with specially trained horses. In the Quintan, knights gallop towards a rotating device to hit it with their lances; in the "Ride against Roland," they ride against a figure that strikes back upon impact — those who miss poorly are thrown from their mounts. Both disciplines require the highest level of horsemanship and are enormously popular with the audience as a show. Three tournament performances per day.

Whit Saturday Evening Tournament — Ride Through Fire and Flames

The highlight of the festival is the evening tournament on Whit Saturday at 8:00 PM — a special tournament at dusk, where knights ride through ignited fire lanes. This spectacular staging — historically documented in medieval sources — can only be seen once a year and is considered one of the most impressive program points of medieval festivals in Eastern Thuringia.

40+ Stalls, Jugglers, Music, Fire Show

On the market grounds around the castle, over 40 craft and merchant stalls are presented — blacksmiths, potters, leatherworkers, candlemakers, fabric merchants, jewelers, bakers. Jugglers and minstrels roam the market. Several music groups alternate — from medieval dance music to bard songs. The evening concludes with spectacular fire shows by Rudolfo — a nationally known fire artist.

Family Program

The festival is explicitly designed as a family event. Family tickets cost €35 (2 adults + 2 children up to 16 years); children under 7 have free admission. A special children's area offers archery, medieval hands-on activities, face painting, and storytellers. Thus, the jousting tournament is not just a medieval subculture event but a classic family weekend.

An Eastern Thuringian Classic

With its 20th edition in 2026, the jousting tournament marks a small anniversary. The festival has been organized since 2007 and has developed into one of the largest medieval spectacles in Central Germany. Thousands of visitors from Eastern Thuringia, Western Saxony, and all over Germany travel to Posterstein every Pentecost weekend — many in contemporary medieval costumes, which explains the reduced admission of €10 instead of €15.