The History Of Oktoberfest

The first Oktoberfest was held on Ocotber 12, 1810, in Monaco of Bavaria to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Maria Teresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Monaco have been invited to attend the festival held on the field in front of city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields were called Theresienwiese - Teresa fields - in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, even if the premises have abbreviated the name simply to "Wies'n. Horse racing, the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the event which was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races for the following year gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest. The festival was dedicated to the fall harvest and the regions most famous product, beer. Craftsmen and merchants came throughout Germany to join the merry-making. They examined the crops, sang, danced and sampled the first beer of the season. The celebration was such a success that Ludwig issued a royal decree in October festive time in Monaco of Bavaria. Horse races, which were the oldest and - simultaneously - the most popular event of the festival no longer held today. But the agricultural fair is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds.

In the early decades the choice of amusements was sparse. The first carousel and two swings were set up in 1818. Visitors were able to drink small beer stands which grew rapidly in number. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries.

Today the Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2005 is celebrating 172 years. Oktoberfest is the biggest festival in the world with 6 million visitors from around the world attending the Oktoberfest in Munich Monaco each year. Each year, these participants consumed more than 5 million liters of beer and more than 200,000 pork sausages, as well as large amounts of traditional hearty dishes such as sausage, hendl (chicken) and sauerkraut, Bavarian specialties like ox tails roast.

Only six breweries in Monaco of Bavaria are allowed to serve beer at the Oktoberfest - Löwenbräu, Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr. Each Bierzelte (beer "tents") hold some 3.000 to 10.000 people. Currently there are 14 tents at the Oktoberfest. A special Oktoberfest beer is produced for the occasion that is slightly darker and stronger in both taste and alcohol.

The festivities are accompanied by a schedule of events, including the grand entrance to Oktoberfest landlords and breweries, costume and procession Fusiliers, and a concert of all the brass bands represented at the "Wies'n.

And since the Oktoberfest is still held on the Theresienwiese, the locals still refer to the event simply as "Wies'n. So, "Welcome to the Wies'n" means nothing more than "Welcome to Oktoberfest!