Kirchweih VfL Issigau

Kerwa around the Sports Facility

The Kirchweih VfL Issigau is one of those village Kirchweihen where club life charmingly merges with the religious festival calendar and Upper Franconian conviviality. The venue is the sports facility of the Verein für Leibesübungen Issigau (VfL), which traditionally uses its premises and the adjacent outdoor area for the festival days.

Three Days of Festivities

Festivities run continuously for three days. Food and drinks are served inside the sports facility, while outside, people celebrate, dance, and enjoy music. The menu features classics of Upper Franconian cuisine — Bratwürste (sausages), Schäuferla (pork shoulder), Krautsalat (cabbage salad) — accompanied by beer from one of the numerous breweries in the Hof district, one of Germany's densest brewing landscapes.

Issigau — Border Municipality on the Saale

The municipality of Issigau is located in the northernmost tip of Upper Franconia, right on the border with Thuringia. With around 1,200 inhabitants, it is manageable, but its location between the Frankenwald forest and the Saale valley is scenically attractive. Castles like Schloss Issigau (now a hotel) characterize the town. The VfL is one of the most important clubs in the municipality — sports, conviviality, and club life combine here with the annual Kirchweih.

A Club Kerwa with Character

Unlike tourist-oriented large Kirchweihen, the VfL-Kerwa is primarily a festival for club members, locals, and regular guests. This is precisely what makes it appealing: those who attend once, return. The sports facility is intimate, the program down-to-earth, and the atmosphere familial. It's an example of how village life functions in Upper Franconia — supported by volunteers, financed by the festival operations, and preserved across generations.