Sommerkirmes Arenshausen

Eichsfeld Fair Tradition at the Werra Gate

The Sommerkirmes Arenshausen is one of the central folk festivals in the Eichsfeld region on the border with Lower Saxony. The organizer is the Kirmesverein Arenshausen e.V., a traditional village club that has been organizing the festival for decades. The Sommerkirmes continues the Eichsfeld fair tradition — the predominantly Catholic Eichsfeld region intensely cultivates its village and parish fairs, which are among the most important days of the year.

Classic Eichsfeld Fair Program

The program follows the classic pattern: Opening on Friday or Saturday evening with a festive ceremony and dance evening, weekend program with live music, Sunday's festive church service and morning pint with brass band music, a marksmen's procession or festive procession on Sunday afternoon, proclamation of the king (if combined with a marksmen's festival), children's fair in the afternoon, dance evening on Sunday, and a relaxed conclusion on Monday or Tuesday.

Arenshausen — Eichsfeld on the Werra

The municipality of Arenshausen (around 1,000 inhabitants) is located in the Eichsfeld district in the north of the state of Thuringia, directly on the border with Lower Saxony. It lies in the western Eichsfeld on the Werra valley, a fertile agricultural region between the Hannöversche Klippe and the Thuringian Forest. The Halle–Göttingen railway line runs through Arenshausen, making the village accessible.

State of Thuringia

In the state of Thuringia, village fairs like the Sommerkirmes Arenshausen are an essential part of the summer event calendar — especially in the predominantly Catholic areas of the Eichsfeld. They bring together residents from the villages, former Eichsfelders from the surrounding districts of Lower Saxony and Hesse, and guests from neighboring federal states.