Kerwa Rentweinsdorf

The Largest Kerwa in the Eberner Land

Rentweinsdorf is a small market town with just under 1,300 inhabitants in the Haßberge district, located on the Baunach river. With its annual Kerwa in mid-May, however, it becomes the pulsating center of the region for a week – the Kerwa is considered the largest Kirchweih in the old district of Ebern, which was incorporated into the present-day Haßberge district in 1972.

Kerwasfreunde Rentweinsdorf e.V.

The event is organized by the traditional club Kerwasfreunde Rentweinsdorf e.V. – the organizational hub for all six days of the festival. Unlike many other Franconian Kerwas, Rentweinsdorf has no Plantanz (traditional maypole dance) – a peculiarity of local tradition. Instead, the program is characterized by club life, sports, live music, and culinary highlights.

Six-Day Architecture

Classically, the Kerwa spans six days from Wednesday to Monday:

• Wednesday — Official opening by the Kerwasfreunde around 6 p.m.
• Thursday (Ascension Day) — Festival service at 9:45 a.m., brunch at the Kegelbahn (bowling alley) grounds
• Friday — Senior or old boys' football match, live band in the Marktsaal garden
• Saturday — Traditional concert by the festival musicians in the morning, cover band performance in the evening
• Sunday — Grand church procession of the clubs, communal lunch in the Marktsaal garden
• Monday — Hahnenschlag of the Bavaria Fan Club as a spectacular finale

Showmen and Festival Mile

On the Planplatz – the traditional festival meadow in the town center – showmen offer classic rides: dodgems, Happy Fly, carousels, shooting galleries, candy stalls, and snack bars. The Marktsaal garden provides catering and live music.

Special: Handtaschenweitwurf (Handbag Throwing)

A fun highlight of the Kerwa: the Handtaschenweitwurf – a humorous folk game where women throw their handbags as far as possible. Combined with classic folk festival sports (football derbies) and the traditional church service, it creates a typical Franconian mix of custom and lived humor.

Rentweinsdorf and the Baunach Valley

Rentweinsdorf is located in the idyllic Baunach Valley between the Haßberge and Steigerwald hills. The market town is small but has a remarkable tradition: Rentweinsdorf Castle (ancestral seat of the Lords of Rotenhan) shapes the townscape. Those who stay longer can explore the Franconian low mountain landscape of the Haßberge – a hiking area with the Rhön-Saale cycle path and many castle ruins.