Schützenfest Weitefeld – Vogelschießen

The Schützenfest Weitefeld with the traditional Vogelschießen is one of the firmly established club traditions in the southern Westerwald. The organizer is the Schützenverein Weitefeld, whose roots lie deep in the history of the mining community. Today, Weitefeld is part of the Daaden-Herdorf municipality in the Altenkirchen district.

Vogelschießen – The Centrepiece

The heart of the festival is the Vogelschießen, where the wooden king bird is shot down from a shooting stand. Whoever knocks down the last piece of the bird becomes the new Schützenkönig or Schützenkönigin. The competition is not only a sporting highlight but also a social event: the new monarch leads the club family for a year and represents it at festivals, king's balls, and supra-regional shooting days.

Accompanying Programme with Marquee

Around the Vogelschießen, a one-day festival is held with a marquee, catering, and live music. Club members, relatives, neighbouring clubs, and guests from the surrounding villages celebrate together. Catering is provided by the shooting family itself – with hearty food, draft beer, and popular music.

Embedded in the VG Daaden-Herdorf

Shooting sports are strongly represented in the southern Westerwald: almost every local community has its own shooting club, and the festivals follow each other in a traditional annual rhythm. Weitefeld shooters are also regular guests at the festivals of neighbouring clubs – a vibrant network of shooting culture.

Social Function

Beyond the sporting and festive dimension, the Schützenfest fulfills an important social role: it strengthens the village community, integrates young shooters through the junior sections, and provides an occasion for former Weitefeld residents to return to their homeland.