50th Sehusafest Seesen

History You Can Touch

For decades, the Sehusafest has been one of the events that make Seesen known beyond the borders of the Harz Mountains. What began as a small historical festival with local clubs has developed into a major event with over a thousand participants. The concept is consistently time-related: each scene is costumed, equipped, and accompanied linguistically as precisely as possible, and the different eras are staged geographically separated within the park.

Market Areas and Encampments

The central market area in the palace park offers stalls where blacksmiths, glassblowers, woodturners, dyers, bow makers, furriers, and parchment scribes demonstrate their crafts. Encampments with erected tents show everyday life in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. In the staged Renaissance market hall, a closed atmosphere is created with music, wine, readings, and banquet scenes.

Music and Performances

Several stages fill the weekend with historically informed music: bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, shawms, and drum groups alternate with Renaissance dance, Baroque ensembles, and songs from the Rococo period. Acting groups stage scenes from the Thirty Years' War, thus addressing one of the region's most historically dramatic chapters.

50th Anniversary with Expanded Format

For its 50th anniversary in 2026, the Sehusafest association is extending the festival to three days for the first time. This extends the opportunity to experience the various program parts without the usual weekend rush. Parades, opening ceremonies, music evenings, and daily programs are spread across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Seesen as a Historical Site

Seesen, originally Sehusa, is located in the western foothills of the Harz Mountains and looks back on more than a thousand years of city history. With the Jacobsonhaus, the Sehusapark, and its location on the edge of the low mountain range region, the city provides a fitting backdrop for a festival that consistently puts history at the center.