St. Anna Festival Mähring
Sudeten German Pilgrimage and Homeland Festival on the Bavarian-Czech Border
About St. Anna Festival Mähring
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Pilgrimage Festival with Homeland History
The St. Anna Festival Mähring is more than a classic church consecration festival: it combines Catholic pilgrimage tradition with the culture of remembrance of the Sudeten Germans from the former Plan-Weseritz homeland district. The organizer is the Heimatkreis Plan-Weseritz e.V., which erected the St. Anna Memorial Church in Mähring (Tirschenreuth district, Bavaria) as a replica of the St. Anna pilgrimage church in Planá (Czech Republic). Today, both churches symbolically represent the close spiritual connection between the old and new homeland.
Pilgrimage Across the Border
On Saturday, a cross-border pilgrimage starts early in the morning on the Bavarian-Czech border and leads on foot to the mother church of St. Anna in Planá. A joint service takes place there. In the afternoon, the homeland district convenes for its members' meeting at the Mähring shooting club house; in the evening, a social gathering with brass music follows in the festival tent.
Festival Service and Bonfire
Sunday marks the festive highlight: a procession to the St. Anna Memorial Church, followed by a festive service with a bishop from Regensburg or a spiritual dignitary from the Diocese of Pilsen. The festival concludes on Sunday evening with the traditional bonfire on the Pfaffenbühl – a widely visible symbol of remembrance of the old homeland. During the festival weekend, long-standing members are honored and new honorary members are appointed.
What Visitors Can Expect
- Cross-border pilgrimage to Planá on Saturday
- Members' meeting at the Mähring shooting club house
- Festival tent with brass music on Saturday evening
- Sunday procession and festive service
- Sudeten German and Egerland specialties
- Bonfire on the Pfaffenbühl on Sunday evening
- Encounter with Sudeten German expellee culture
Mähring in the Stiftland
Mähring is located in the far east of the Upper Palatinate, directly on the border with the Czech Republic. The town belongs to the Tirschenreuth district in the Stiftland region. After 1945, numerous expellees from the Egerland found a new home here – the St. Anna Memorial Church and the annual St. Anna Festival have since been the most important places of identity for the Plan-Weseritz homeland district. For interested visitors, a fascinating piece of German-Czech history unfolds.
St. Anna Festival Mähring — edition 2026
The St. Anna Festival Mähring 2026 will be celebrated on the last weekend of July (July 25–26) in the traditional format. As every year, the festival Saturday begins early in the morning with the cross-border pilgrimage from the Bavarian-Czech border to Planá to the mother church of St. Anna. A service is celebrated there by the pilgrimage community. In the afternoon, the Heimatkreis Plan-Weseritz e.V. convenes its members for the members' meeting at the Mähring shooting club house.
Saturday evening is followed by a social gathering in the festival tent with brass music. Sunday marks the festive highlight: the procession to the St. Anna Memorial Church begins at 8:45 AM, followed by the festive service. The traditional bonfire on the Pfaffenbühl on Sunday evening provides a atmospheric conclusion.
Programme St. Anna Festival Mähring 2026
Saturday, July 25, 2026
- Early morning cross-border pilgrimage to St. Anna Church in Planá (Czech Republic)
- Service in Planá
- Members' meeting of the Heimatkreis Plan-Weseritz at the Mähring shooting club house
- Evening: Festival tent with brass music in Mähring
Sunday, July 26, 2026
- Procession to St. Anna Memorial Church
- Festive service
- Festival tent and catering at midday
- Evening: Bonfire on the Pfaffenbühl
Highlights St. Anna Festival Mähring 2026
- Cross-border pilgrimage to Planá
- Festive service at St. Anna Memorial Church
- Bonfire on the Pfaffenbühl as a traditional conclusion
- Sudeten German homeland and remembrance culture
- Free access to the services
Prices St. Anna Festival Mähring 2026
Festival services and procession are freely accessible. Festival tent catering is paid for on-site. Sources: oberpfalzdaheim.de, sudeten.de.
Practical information — St. Anna Festival Mähring
Getting There
Mähring is located in the northeast of the Upper Palatinate on the border with the Czech Republic, accessible via the B 15 or the A 93 (Mitterteich exit, approx. 20 km). Travel by train to Wiesau, then by bus or taxi. Those who wish to join the pilgrimage to Planá should bring good footwear and pilgrim equipment.
Admission
Festival services, procession, and bonfire are freely accessible. Food and drinks in the festival tent are paid for on-site.
Tip
The Heimatkreis Plan-Weseritz e.V. publishes the exact program a few weeks in advance on sudeten.de and plan-weseritz.de. Those who want to learn about Sudeten German history will find it here.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a St. Anna Festival Mähring al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place St. Anna Festival Mähring
St.-Anna-Gedächtniskirche Mähring
St. Anna Straße, 95695 Mähring