Wallenstein – Memmingen 1630

Memmingen 1630 Comes Alive

In the summer of 1630, the imperial commander Albrecht von Wallenstein, one of the most powerful generals of the Thirty Years' War, entered the imperial city of Memmingen and established his headquarters there. This historical episode has been re-enacted every four years since 1980 in an entire festival week – with a level of detail, participation, and atmosphere that is unparalleled in Europe.

Dimensions of a Historical Festival

For one week, the Wallenstein Festival Week brings together an entire army of over 4,000 participants in historical costume – musketeers, pikemen, Swiss guards, camp followers, nobles, citizens, peasants, monks, soldiers, musicians, and jugglers. In addition, there are around 300 horses and more than 40 historical groups, some of which have been re-enacting Wallenstein for generations.

Organiser: Fischertagsverein Memmingen

The festival is organised by the Fischertagsverein Memmingen e.V., which also organises the famous Memmingen Fishermen's Day play. This dual role makes the association the central cultural institution of the city – a civic and association-based organiser of a multi-day major historical event, without a primary commercial sponsor, but with deep roots in the city's population.

The Highlights – Entry and Exit

Two grand processions frame the event:

• Wallenstein's Entry on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 1:30 PM – Wallenstein enters the city with his retinue, soldiers, and camp followers
• Wallenstein's Exit on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at 1:30 PM – the general and his troops leave the city

Both processions pass through the medieval old town with its characteristic layout and perfectly preserved city walls. Grandstand seats are available for spectators for a fee.

Camp Life in Grimmelschanze and Reichshain

Outside the city walls, the military camps are set up: in Grimmelschanze and Reichshain, authentic field camps are established daily from 10 AM. Soldiers and their families live, cook, drill, trade, and practice crafts – visitors can watch, try historical food, shoot crossbows, and learn blacksmithing. Entry to the camp life is free.

Camp Games and Equestrian Games

In the evenings, the grand camp games take place at Grimmelschanze (from 8 PM) and the equestrian games at Reichshain (from 8 PM). The latter feature equestrian competitions, acrobatics, fencing scenes, fire shows, and military drills. The camp games are a mix of juggling, balancing, aerial acrobatics, Morris dancing, live music, and fire shows.

"Dance on the Cobblestones" and Market

The market square, with its characteristic cobblestones, transforms into a large open-air ballroom during the "Dance on the Cobblestones" – torchlight processions, historically costumed dancing, and medieval music. The Historical Market opens daily from 12 PM with over 50 stalls of historical craftspeople, traders, and food vendors. Entry is free.

Memmingen – Free Imperial City

Memmingen, an independent city with around 45,000 inhabitants in the Unterallgäu region (Swabia, Bavaria), was a Free Imperial City from 1286 to 1802. Its perfectly preserved city walls with gates, towers, and medieval layout provide the ideal backdrop for a major historical event. Memmingen is also historically significant on a European level as the birthplace of the "Twelve Articles of the Peasants" (1525) – Europe's oldest catalogue of fundamental rights.