The history of Oktoberfest: from the royal horse race to the mega event in Munich

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The largest folk festival in the world starts on Saturday: the Oktoberfest in Munich. Millions of people make a pilgrimage to Theresienwiese in the Bavarian capital to take part in this traditional event. For more than two weeks the focus is on beer and pretzels.

The event started in 1810. The idea came from Andreas Michael Dall’Armi (1765–1842), major in the National Guard. The wedding of King Ludwig I (1786–1868) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1792–1854) was in the pipeline. The major wanted to try something new: he wanted to celebrate the festival with a horse race. The idea was well received in court.

26 failures due to wars and pandemics

Although there were no beer tents or attractions, the festivities at the Theresienwiese, later named after the bride, were well received. We agreed that we wanted to celebrate such a festival more often.

However, a royal wedding cannot take place every year. That is why the agricultural association took over and organized the festival – but it had to be canceled for the first time in 1813. The reason: the Napoleonic Wars. In its history, Oktoberfest has been canceled 26 times, mainly due to wars or pandemics. Due to Corona, the festival had to take a break in 2020 and 2021 after taking place continuously since 1949.

Despite the initial interruptions, the city of Munich realized the potential early on. Therefore, in 1819 it was decided to make the event a top priority. The city fathers took matters into their own hands. Oktoberfest became a guarantee for visitors and promised a vibrant income.

Over the years, the festival became more diverse: carousels, chicken roasts and beer tents were added – becoming mainstays of Oktoberfest that are now an integral part. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary in 1910, 12,000 hectoliters of beer were served in the largest festival tent, which had 12,000 seats.

Forty years later, the cult that said “O’zapft is!” celebrated. (“It’s tapped!”) was his birth. For the first time, the mayor of Munich had the honor of tapping into Oktoberfest – a tradition that continues to this day.

13 dead after right-wing extremist attack

But the cheerful festival also had terrible moments. The darkest chapter: a terrorist attack on September 26, 1980. The tragic result: 13 dead, 221 injured, 68 of them seriously. The attack is considered the worst act of terrorism in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The perpetrator was Gundolf Köhler (1959–1980), a young right-wing extremist who was killed in the attack. Late in the evening, Köhler detonated a bomb at the main entrance. The research was only stopped about three years ago. The result: Köhler planned and carried out the assassination attempt for political reasons. His goal was to influence the 1980 federal elections to ultimately achieve a “leadership state” based on the Nazi model. To date, it could not be proven whether there were instigators, accomplices or accomplices.

Source: Blick