Vogelgilde Bergenhusen — Gildefest

A Guild from the 17th Century

The Vogelgilde Bergenhusen was founded in 1655 — 370 years before 2026 — and is one of the oldest documented marksmen's guilds in Schleswig-Holstein. With currently 36 active members, it is small but its tradition is maintained annually. The guild is led by Elder Hans Christian Langner; the guild's seat is Redder 4 in Bergenhusen.

The Gildefest — Course of a Festival Since the 17th Century

The Gildefest follows a sequence that has evolved over centuries and is precisely adhered to:

Friday Evening — Collecting the Triumvirate

The festival begins on Friday evening with the ceremonial collection of the triumvirate: the old king, the captain, and the ensign from the previous year's guild are collected from their homes. These individuals (men or, in modern times, also women) are the dignitaries who open the festival.

Saturday Morning — Parade to the Shooting Range

On Saturday morning, the festival parade forms. The Bergenhusen Fire Brigade Band leads, followed by the guild members in traditional attire. The procession moves from the assembly point through the village to the shooting range on the outskirts.

Saturday Afternoon — King's Shoot

At the shooting range, the actual king's shoot begins: a wooden bird is attached to a high pole — the marksmen shoot at the bird with a .22 LR caliber rifle until it is completely shot down. The last marksman to bring down the bird entirely is the new king of the Vogelgilde Bergenhusen.

Saturday Afternoon — Ladies' Shoot

In parallel or immediately afterward, the guild's ladies' group takes their turn: here, they shoot with air pistols at their own target — their own ladies' queen is determined this way.

Saturday Evening — Guild Ball

The highlight is the Guild Ball at the Bergenhusen village inn: a shared meal, proclamation of the new king and the new ladies' queen, a coronation ceremony, dancing, and socializing late into the night.

A True Schleswig-Holstein Tradition

Vogelgilden — also called Schützengilden (marksmen's guilds) — are an old tradition in Schleswig-Holstein. Similar guilds exist in numerous villages, many with founding dates from the 17th or 18th centuries. They combine social function (village community, annual festival) with sporting discipline (shooting) and symbolic hierarchy (king, captain, ensign). In Bergenhusen — a municipality with around 700 inhabitants in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg — the Vogelgilde is a central figure of identity.

Bergenhusen — Known for its Storks

Bergenhusen is located in the Stapelholm region between the Eider and Treene rivers in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg. The village is primarily known as a stork village: several pairs of storks nest on the farm roofs every year — one of the highest stork densities in Schleswig-Holstein. In summer, the young storks fly out; in winter, the quiet village life is apparent — and in June, the traditional Gildefest.