Wittower Erntefest

Thanksgiving at the Northernmost Point of Rügen

The Wittower Erntefest celebrates the agricultural tradition of the Wittow peninsula, the easternmost tip of the island of Rügen in the Vorpommern-Rügen district. The venue is the Rügenhof in Putgarten – a historic manor farm near Kap Arkona, the striking chalk cliff cape with its lighthouses. Wittow has always been agricultural land; the Erntedankfest honors this heritage at the end of the harvest season.

Festive Parade and Folk Dance

The festival day begins in the morning with a colorful parade through Putgarten. The Wieker Blasmusik, the Jasmunder Plattdänzer, and the Wittower Tanzhummeln provide the musical and dance accompaniment – folk dance and traditional costume groups from the region that give the festival its folkloric character.

Animals, Crafts, and Agricultural Machinery

On the seasonally decorated Rügenhof, small animal breeders and shepherds showcase their animals and offer insights into rural crafts. Tractor enthusiasts present historical and modern agricultural machinery. Stalls offer regional specialties; the autumnal decoration of the courtyard puts visitors in a harvest mood.

Harvest Dance in the Barn

The festival day concludes in the evening with a harvest dance in the barn – a convivial end to a day that combines village community, customs, and agriculture. The Wittower Erntefest is thus much more than a market: an intergenerational celebration of the peninsula.

Putgarten, Kap Arkona, and Wittow

Putgarten is Rügen's northernmost municipality and the gateway to Kap Arkona with its lighthouses and the Slavic history of the Jaromarsburg. The Rügenhof is a tourist and cultural center of the Wittow peninsula. The Erntefest makes it the stage for North Rügen tradition once a year.