Volks- und Heimatfest Dorthausen — St. Christophorus Schützenbruderschaft 1986

Volks- und Heimatfest Dorthausen — Four Days of Club Life

The Mönchengladbach district of Dorthausen is small but rich in tradition — and celebrates its Volks- und Heimatfest with a mix of a classic Schützenfest, a summer festival format, and neighbourhood tradition. From Friday, July 31st to Monday, August 3rd, 2026, the Ballsportwiese at the playground on Christophorusstraße will become the festival grounds. The event is organized by a dual alliance: the Heimat- und VFL Dorthausen 1964 e.V. (HV) and the St. Christophorus Schützenbruderschaft Dorthausen 1986.

The Programme — Schützenfest, Parade, Klompenball

The festival combines typical Schützenfest elements with local customs:

• Shooting competition by the brotherhood (decision for the king)
• Parade of the united clubs through Dorthausen
• "Tanz in den Mai" atmosphere (transferred to the midsummer date)
• Senior citizens' afternoon — an important part of the programme with coffee, cake, and music
• Klompenball (traditional folk ball with "Klompen", the wooden shoes typical of the Lower Rhine/Dutch border region — a cultural reference to the nearby border area)
• Performances by local clubs

Admission to all events is free.

The St. Christophorus Schützenbruderschaft Dorthausen 1986

The brotherhood, founded in 1986, is relatively young — a revival of the Schützenwesen (shooting fraternity traditions) at a time when many old brotherhoods in Mönchengladbach have existed since the 19th century. The brotherhood bears the name of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travellers — fitting for the street name Christophorusstraße. Despite its relative youth, it is part of Mönchengladbach's vibrant Schützenwesen, which was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2015.

Heimat- und VFL Dorthausen 1964

The second organizer, the Heimat- und VFL Dorthausen 1964 e.V., is a classic sports and heritage club that shapes the social life in the district. The combination of a sports club and a shooting brotherhood as a joint organizing team is a good example of the club landscape in small Mönchengladbach districts: they share tasks, multiply resources, and jointly create a district festival that would be too small on its own.

Dorthausen — the small district in northern Mönchengladbach

Dorthausen is a small district in the north of Mönchengladbach (Hardt district), near the federal highway B59. With only a few thousand inhabitants, the place feels almost like a village — and that's precisely why the club culture works: everyone knows everyone, and the annual Volks- und Heimatfest is a must-attend event for all generations. The atmosphere is distinctly different from the large city Schützenfest in Mönchengladbach's city centre — here, everything is more familial, personal, and closer to everyday neighbourhood life.