Schützenfest Willebadessen

Willebadessen — A Town with Monastery History

Willebadessen is a small town in the Höxter district (Detmold administrative region), located in the southern Weser Uplands between Paderborn and Höxter, on the western edge of the Eggegebirge mountains. With around 8,000 inhabitants (the core town has a good 1,500), it is one of the quiet health resorts in the region. The town center is characterized by the former Benedictine convent — founded in 1149, secularized in 1810 — whose classicist monastery church and historic cloister wall dominate the townscape. The Schützenfest of the St. Johannes Brotherhood takes place every year in this setting.

Two Brotherhoods, One Club Life

Willebadessen has two Schützenbruderschaften (marksmen's brotherhoods): the St. Johannes Brotherhood (with the classic Schützenfest on the last weekend of June) and the St. Sebastian Brotherhood (with its own king shooting in mid-June, which takes place on June 20, 2026). Both shape the Catholic-conservative club life of the town — a typical constellation for the rural Hochstift Paderborn region.

Schedule of the Schützenfest 2026

The 2026 Schützenfest runs from Saturday, June 27, to Monday, June 29. The opening on Saturday is the traditional reception with the assembly of the marksmen, followed by the coronation ball in the festival tent with the reigning king David Arzer. On Sunday, the grand parade through Willebadessen is the highlight, with marksmen, marching bands, and royal couples, followed by a concert and dancing in the festival tent. Monday morning features the festive Schützenmesse with a subsequent Frühschoppen — the festivities conclude in the afternoon.

The Concept of Kingship

In the Catholic marksmen's movement of the Hochstift Paderborn, kingship is one of the highest honors a club member can receive: the king is the one who shoots the last splinter of the wooden bird off the pole during the king shooting. The queen is usually his wife or partner. The royal couple represents the brotherhood for one year at festivals, funerals, and club events — and wears the historic king's chain with plaques of all previous kings. King David Arzer will hand over his crown at the end of the 2026 Schützenfest — unless a new one is determined during the Sunday shooting.

Getting to Willebadessen

By car via the B 64 (Paderborn-Höxter) or the A 44 (Lichtenau-Atteln exit); about 20 kilometers from Paderborn. By train: Willebadessen station on the Paderborn-Altenbeken-Holzminden line; about 1.5 km from the station to the town center. Approximately 25 minutes by car from Paderborn.