Walpurgis and Knights' Tournament
from 30 April to 01 May anno 2022
Hear the fanfare and the shouts of the herald: come to Roßlau Castle to experience a magical weekend in the Middle Ages!
On the castle grounds, visitors can expect a spectacle for the eye, the ear and also for the stomach.
As the visitor enters the castle, he is confronted with the hustle and bustle of a bygone era. His gaze passes beautiful stalls made of wood, straw, cloth or brushwood.
Craftsmen dressed as they used to be can be admired practising their old crafts and even lending a hand themselves. This is done without any modern-day tools.
Among the more than 40 craftsmen’s and traders’ stalls you can see the bow maker, the needle binder, the wood carver, the portrait and miniature painter and many more. They all show their skills and offer their self-made goods for sale.
In the camp of the “Barbarians Podegrodici” you can observe how time-consuming the process of weaving chainmail is or how wool and wood were processed. In your camp you can also read the cards or runes of many a person.
As was the custom in the Middle Ages, all kinds of travelling artists were to be found at the market.
Braxas A”, for example, presents a breathtaking fire and fakir show with nail boards and sharp weapons, acrobatics and dancing on broken glass as well as dancing with live animals.
The “Fabula” and “Sack & Pacc” duo play the music of the Middle Ages on old instruments, soothing to the ear, rousing to the dance but also quiet to the soul. May the visitors open their ears and listen to the sounds of shawms, bagpipes and drums.
All the many witches in our country are called upon to come to Dessau-Roßlau for the devil’s haunting and fire magic, music and dancing at the Walpurgis bonfire.
On the night of 30 April to 1 May, a fire blazes in the castle walls, around whose flames witches and devils dance.
One of this year’s attractions is the knights’ tournament on horseback!
This tournament promises excitement and entertainment of a very special kind. On horseback, the knights fight for the favour of the fair maiden.
The men of “Wenzel’s Knighthood” show their skills, courage and dexterity 3 times a day in a ride through fire and flames against Roland, in the Quintan and Sarazenstechen – exciting and action-packed right up to the last minute.
The bathhouse, with hot water, fragrant oils and herbs, is a must at any medieval market. May the visitors watch the quite permissive bathing women washing the dust off the furs of the common market people in wooden tubs after their work is done.
The little people are entertained by archery, historical handicrafts, fire painting and a children’s knight tournament.
Once the time traveller has finally had his fill, he can also eat his fill. Full mugs circle around and delicious smells rise up between the densely packed stalls.
Cookshops and taverns cater for the physical well-being. Knights’ beer and mead, roasts and flatbreads, garlic bread and other delicacies invite you to linger and feast.
The market is open on Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 am.
So set off and come on horseback, on iron donkeys or with your smelly carriages and spend days of a time long gone…