Schmölln Mutzbraten Championship

Mutzbraten — Schmölln Specialty

The Schmölln Mutzbraten is one of the best-known meat specialties in East Thuringia and is part of the region's identity-forming food culture. It consists of pork (typically from the shoulder) grilled over fir wood, seasoned with salt, pepper, caraway, and marjoram. The meat is cooked on a long skewer over charcoal — the cooking time can take up to six hours. The result: tender, smoky meat with a characteristic seasoning. Mutzbraten is traditionally served on rye bread or rolls with mustard and sauerkraut. In Schmölln, the tradition is particularly strong — the town confidently calls itself the "Mutzbraten Capital".

Championship with Public Voting

With the 1st Mutzbraten Championship, Schmölln is taking the regional specialty to a new level in 2026. Teams from companies, associations, and private groups will compete to present their Mutzbraten. Judging criteria: taste, craftsmanship, presentation, and teamwork. A panel of expert judges consisting of professional chefs, regional butchers, and culinary journalists will evaluate — supplemented by public voting from visitors who can taste the Mutzbraten themselves and cast their vote. The competition is for the championship title, a traveling trophy, and prize money; the championship is sponsored by, among others, DWP Werbetechnik GmbH, Dellentechnik Boge, WOLF Essgenuss GmbH, and LOTTER METALL GmbH + Co. KG.

Farmers' Market, Mutzbraten Exhibition, and Town Festival Atmosphere

The championship is embedded in a three-day festival weekend. Friday, June 19: Opening evening with welcome address, initial tastings, and a cultural contribution. Saturday, June 20: Main competition with official opening at 12 pm and award ceremony at 6 pm; the teams work under the observation of visitors, who can taste and vote in real-time. Sunday, June 21: Large regional farmers' market from 10 am to 6 pm with producers from the Altenburger Land and neighboring regions — sausages, cheese, honey, juices, baked goods, liqueurs, crafts. A Mutzbraten exhibition accompanies the event: history of the specialty, seasoning techniques, historical grilling equipment.

Schmölln — Button Town in the Altenburger Land

Schmölln is located in the Altenburger Land district in the state of Thuringia, on the Sprotte river and near the A4 motorway between Erfurt and Dresden. With around 11,000 inhabitants, the town is the cultural center of the northern Altenburger Land. Schmölln is primarily known as the "Button Town": in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the town was the center of the German mother-of-pearl button industry — up to 80% of all German buttons were produced here. The Button and Regional Museum documents this extraordinary industrial history. The town is part of the "DEIN Sommer-Moment" (Your Summer Moment) cultural summer concept, under which the Altenburger Land district office bundles several festivals — the Mutzbraten Championship fits in as a culinary highlight.