Maibaumfest Vierländer Schützengesellschaft

Maypole, Punch, and 400 Years of Tradition

The Vierländer Schützengesellschaft of 1592 is one of the oldest still active shooting associations in Northern Germany. Its Schützenhof in Neuengamme, in the Vier- und Marschlande district within Bergedorf, has been the venue for traditional May Day celebrations for generations. The Maibaumfest on May 1st is a fixed date in the club's annual calendar — an open festival to which non-members are also invited.

What Happens on May 1st

The program begins at eleven o'clock: the maypole is ceremonially erected or visited, after which things become informal — grill, drinks, Maibowle made from woodruff, along with stories and encounters. Anyone who has never experienced a classic North German Maibaumfest will get the most authentic impression of this tradition here.

Vier- und Marschlande — Rural Hamburg

Neuengamme is located in the south of Bergedorf, far beyond the urban density. The marshes east of the Elbe are one of the oldest agricultural landscapes in Northern Germany. Shooting associations like the Vierländer have played a special role there — as a civic guard, as a social center, as carriers of local identity. The Maibaumfest is a living echo of this history.

Bergedorf District, Rural Hamburg

The festival is, in its own way, a microcosm of rural Hamburg: not a large urban spectacle, but a cozy club event with a long tradition. Those coming from Hamburg's city center will immerse themselves in a different city — thatched roofs, fields, old farmhouses, and in between, a Schützenhof with a maypole.