In yesterday’s paper, my Border Crossings column was about all the great stuff to see in Munich when you’re over there for the two-week Oktoberfest, which this year runs from noon Saturday, September 22, when the city’s lord mayor taps the first keg of beer, to Sunday, October 7. The first–and understandably obvious–question has already been asked of me: Why is more than half of Oktoberfest held in September?

Good question. To better understand the answer, it helps to better understand Bavarians, who are some of Europe’s most delightful, hospitable, gregarious and fun-loving people. Munich is the captal of Bavaria, which was the last independent Germanic nation to be absorbed into Germany, an event that didn’t occur until after World War I. Even today, when you enter Germany from Austria, the first sign says “Welcome to the Free State of Bavaria.” Only a bit later is there one reading “Welcome to the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Now, let’s go to www.oktoberfest.de for a little history, which also offers an explanation about why Oktoberfest, which really did originally occur in October, got moved up a bit:
“The historical background: the first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.

“By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.”

I love it when foreigners translate things into English. Of course, since my German is pitiful, I shouldn’t cast stones.

A couple things to point out: “Die Wiesen” is also the name of the part of Munich in which Oktoberfest takes place. There are 14 beer tents erected around the 100+ acre site. As an example, the Hofbräu Festhalle tent can accommodate almost 7,000 celebrants seated inside and and more than 3,000 outside. Here are some numbers from last year’s Fest:
- 100,000: number of seats available at Die Wiesen
- 4,000: number of personal belongings lost (including false teeth, crutches and wedding rings)
- 6 million: litres of beer quaffed
- 33,400: litres of wine sipped
- 515,000: bottles of water and soft drinks guzzled
- 200,000: litres of non-alcoholic beverages served (not in bottles)
- 360,000: sausages munched

Here are a few other good things to know:
- If you’re taking the train to Munich from elsewhere in Germany or Europe, don’t look for “Munich” on the timetable. All European cities are listed by their local names. Look for “München.” Sometimes it’s also spelled “Muenchen.”
- If you want a souvenir beer stein, don’t ask for a “stein.” You’ll be asking for a “rock.” (Imagine my embarrassment when I tried to buy an ornate stein for my dad on my first visit to Germany!) Ask for a “Mass,” but pronounce it “mahsss.” And don’t be surprised to see it spelled “Maß.” The “ß” symbol represents two S’s in most German-speaking parts of Europe. Outside of Munich, a stein is called a “Krug,” pronounced “kroog.”
- A litre of beer is expected to sell for about €8 this year. That’s about $10.50. But since most European beers pack more of a kick than most American beers, including imports specially watered down for the American palate, a litre will go a lot farther.
- The hometown favorite beer in Munich is, of course, Löwenbräu. But never, never pronounced it “Lowenbrow.” It’s “LOOV-en-broy.” If you want to avoid the madness of the Wiesen, you can get it in the popular downtown Hofbräuhaus beer hall, and at almost every beer garden.

Which brings up one more thing I loved about Munich. I don’t drink alcohol, but still had as much fun in the beer gardens as the next person. Why? Because contrary to popular misconception, they’re not rowdy drunken venues. Most, including the sprawling biergarten in the center of the Englischer Garten–Munich’s vast central park–are social gathering spots for Muncheners of all ages. Kids will be cavorting (some beer gardens even have playground equipment) while mom and dad visit with their neighbors. And the food: yum! The best ribs I’ve ever had were in the Englischer Garten beer garden. Some beer gardens don’t have food service, so locals pack picnics when they go. It’s an interesting and integral aspect of a fun-loving culture.

Next week my column will cover the many great things to see and do outside of Munich, using the Bavarian capital as your headquarters. Meanwhile, you can see video of Munich on our Web site. It’s imbedded in my online Border Crossings column this week.

I’ll leave you with the traditional Bavarian greeting and farewell: Grüß Gott! (God’s greetings). Prounce it “groos goat.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 11:50 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.