Vierländer Erdbeerfest

The Strawberry, the Vierlande, and the Thatched Roof

The Vierländer Erdbeerfest is one of the most distinctive rural festivals within Hamburg's city limits. The venue is the Rieck Haus, an originally preserved 16th-century farmhouse in Curslack, one of the Vier- und Marschlande districts in the Bergedorf borough. The building belongs to the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg and provides the stage for the festival: low doors, massive oak beams, thatched roof, surrounded by a garden with old plants and tools.

A Program of Tradition and Participation

On the festival grounds, traditional costume groups from the Vier- und Marschlande perform, alongside Low German speakers sharing anecdotes from the North German countryside. Thatchers demonstrate their craft, and in the historic bakehouse, bread is baked before visitors' eyes in a wood-fired oven. There's a special program for children with hands-on activities.

Strawberries – The Pride of the Region

The Vierlande, a marshland east of Hamburg, has been a region for gardening and fruit cultivation since the Middle Ages. To this day, a large portion of Hamburg's strawberries comes from this area. The festival puts this tradition at its center: tastings of different varieties, fresh produce stands, cake, and punch at the farm. Other Vierländer products – honey, lettuce, flowers – are also showcased.

Bergedorf District, Rural Hamburg

Bergedorf is Hamburg's easternmost and largest district by area. While the center is urban, the Vier- und Marschlande consist of vast meadows, dikes, and farms. Visitors to the Erdbeerfest travel from the Bergedorf S-Bahn station into another world: a 20-minute bus ride, thatched roofs, fields, tranquility. The festival is also a piece of Hamburg's urban geography.