Two 80-year-olds from Baden tell how they experience the Badenfahrt today

On the phone, Ms. Müller said that she and her husband were easy to spot at the agreed meeting point: “We are a tall, elderly couple. You will find us.” And that was the case.

In 1977 they took part in the Badenfahrt together for the first time. The young family had just moved here from Lenzburg and had little connection with Baden. Still, Veronika remembers not missing a single night of the ten-day festival. “We were all young families in our settlement, so you could take turns babysitting and partying together.” The 79-year-old Alfons says he remembers the years when the two could actively participate in a festival best. “Together with the Baden-Dättwil village association, we have already set up something a few times.”

Together with another couple, Alfons and Veronika, one year younger, ran a café on the Badenfahrt in 1983. A regional greengrocer made his loader wagon available. The Beizer milk chairs were mounted all around, a counter was set up on top of the car and the mobile bar was ready. You actually wanted to drive it through the city, but there was not enough space for that. for the many visitors. “The compliments rained down for the morning coffee.” Maybe it was the low-lime water from the lion fountain they used for it, who knows Veronika. When the working day was over in the dark, the relevant greengrocer came with his tractor to collect the converted loader wagon with all four spreaders.

Finally, the money in the cash register was counted and the account was settled. That wasn’t much at the time, there were other clubs that professionally organized large cafes, says Alfons. But the money wasn’t her motivation anyway. “We did it because we enjoyed being around people and making new contacts,” he says. “And above all to have fun”, Veronika adds with a warm smile.

They therefore wanted to be actively involved in the subsequent Badenfahrt with their own café of the village association. This time they offered beef tartar – from the butcher, who provided almost around the clock. The pub was a great success, they also welcomed high-ranking politicians from Aarau as guests, the two proudly say. Only the annoying cleaning up was left in a negative memory. Veronika had to hose down the marquee every morning because immoral men wouldn’t stand in line for Toitoi. “And that at temperatures such as we have now.”

But it’s not just the earlier trips to Baden that the Müllers particularly remember. The two still go to Baden to celebrate their town festival. Alfons thinks back: “On the last Badenfahrt we were actually already on our way home when we walked to a Hanery Amman concert at two in the morning.” The concert of the now deceased Swiss musician still evokes beautiful feelings today, says Veronika. These days it’s harder to find someone you know in the music program. “It’s a consequence of getting older,” says Alfons. Nevertheless, the two always discover new musical performances on the Badenfahrt that appeal to them.

“The Badenfahrt and Baden feel like our home,” says Veronika with bright blue eyes. She and her husband would be recognized on the street by former employees or students who now have families of their own. By listening you can already hear that such encounters make the two very happy. During the ten days of the festival, they keep meeting people they haven’t seen for a long time. And while they stroll through the festival grounds, they discover concerts by unknown musicians that inspire them.

“I also really want to go into the city. You end up in a real floating water. » Veronika also believes that the Badenfahrt especially takes the older semesters out of the cochlea – as she calls it. Of course they experience the festival more relaxed in their youth. Yet they are grateful for their health. Mr. and Mrs. Müller still feel fit enough to climb the steep steps to the Limmat and head back into town. “That’s not something we take for granted when we look around our circle of friends,” says Veronika.

When asked what they did on the first Badenfahrtsweekend, the two grin at each other and say in canon: slept well. After all, you have to adapt to the rhythm of the festival to keep up. Friday is there to get an overview of the festival. At exactly 6 p.m., just in time for the opening, they threw themselves into the crowd. Veronika then thought about Corona for a moment and was very happy that these kinds of festivals could take place again. “We listened to a great Baden musician.” Unfortunately, only a few would have made the journey to the somewhat remote stage of the Regionalwerke Baden for their concert. Alfons shows pictures of the light show in the Reformed Church, which he likes so much that he might want to go there again.

Today, the cultural offer has a higher priority. “In my opinion, it is perceived more consciously, especially by the younger generation.” A lot has changed since the Badenfahrt in the 1970s. “It has become bigger and the buildings more extensive,” says Alfons. The festival used to be even more modest. “But I think that’s positive. You shouldn’t complain that everything is getting crazier. The magic is in that madness.”