Kantate-Markt Oberelsbach

Market rights since 1726 — Prince-Bishop Christoph Franz von Hutten

The Kantate-Markt Oberelsbach looks back on almost 300 years of history: In the year 1726, Prince-Bishop Christoph Franz von Hutten granted the market town market rights, including the right to hold annual markets. This makes Oberelsbach one of the historically oldest market towns in the Rhön. The market tradition has been preserved over the centuries and is now integrated into the program of the "Romantische Märkte« — a regionally renowned series of traditional Lower Franconian markets.

Kantate Sunday — the musical Sunday

Kantate Sunday is the 4th Sunday after Easter in the Protestant church year, named after the Latin word cantate (sing). It is the Sunday with the strongest musical emphasis in the Christian church year — this day is often celebrated in many Protestant parishes with special cantatas. In Oberelsbach, since 1726, the day has also had a secular component: the annual spring market. In 2026, Kantate Sunday falls on May 10th, based on Easter on April 5th, 2026.

Traditional Costume Festival and Bands

The Kantate-Markt is not only an annual market but also a traditional costume festival: Associations in regional Rhön traditional costumes parade through the market town in the morning, and traditional costume bands from the Rhön and Lower Franconia play on the market square and at various stations. The Lower Franconian Rhön costume — choker, lace cap, dark cloth dress for women, Lederhosen and traditional jacket for men — is known beyond the region and creates a colorful market scene.

Market and Arts and Crafts

Around 60–80 market vendors exhibit on the market square and along Marktstraße. Focus areas: traditional Franconian arts and crafts (wood carving, pottery, woodturning, blacksmithing, basket weaving), regional foods from the Rhön (Rhönschinken ham, sausage and cheese specialties, honey from Heidelstein, distilleries from the Saaletal), as well as clothing, jewelry, and decorative items. The Elstalhalle serves as an alternative venue in case of rain; around the Academy for Sustainable Development, vendors from the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön present their products.

Oberelsbach — Market in the Bavarian Rhön

Oberelsbach is a market municipality with around 2,700 inhabitants in the Rhön-Grabfeld district in the Bavarian administrative region of Lower Franconia. Its location at the foot of the Heidelstein (the highest point in the Bavarian Rhön at 925 m) makes it a tourist center of the Hohe Rhön, the Academy for Sustainable Development of the Biosphere Reserve, and a starting point for hikes in the Schwarzes Moor, Rotes Moor, and at the Kreuzberg. In addition to the Kantate-Markt, Oberelsbach hosts other markets throughout the year (farmers' market in October, annual and pigeon market in November with Kirchweih).