Kinder-Vogelschießen Stocksee

A North German Tradition

Vogelschießen is one of the oldest folk customs in Northern Germany – historically a competition for shooting guilds, which today is continued in many communities as a children's festival. In Stocksee (Segeberg district, state of Schleswig-Holstein), the tradition has a firm place in the summer calendar: on a Saturday in June, half the village gathers around the village square, a green, hectare-sized area with old trees in the middle of the town. Here, a wooden bird is mounted on a high pole, and children shoot at it with a crossbow (or, depending on the age group, with other harmless competition equipment) – piece by piece the bird falls, and whoever knocks down the last wooden part is proclaimed Bird Queen or Bird King.

More Than a Competition

The Kinder-Vogelschießen is not just a shooting game: the competition is framed by a small village parade through the main streets, a crowning ceremony with a king's photo, sausages and cake from the club's canteen, a raffle with prizes from local sponsors, and games for younger siblings. The event connects generations – parents and grandparents are often former queens or kings themselves.

Stocksee — Holstein Switzerland

Stocksee is located on the lake of the same name in the middle of the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park, between Plön and Bad Segeberg. The village has fewer than 300 inhabitants but an exceptionally active event calendar: besides the Kinder-Vogelschießen, there is the traditional Abendlauf (end of May), the Familienfestival Stocksee (September), a Dorfflohmarkt (village flea market, August), and chamber music concerts as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. The village square under old trees is the undisputed stage for this village community.