Landshut Favorites

Favorite thing: Landsknechte (lansquenets / mercenaries ) were simple people, whose only weapon was that large stick. Their only chance in a battle was to keep the enemy in a big distance and kill him with the small lance on top of their sticks. During the wedding-parade they also carry a ring of flowers there in order to show that they came in a peacful mission.

Fondest memory: This group of Landsknechte are really great singers and during most of the parade they will sing their song, but unfortunately you may hear just a small part of the song, as other music-groups are passing by as well.

Favorite thing: Take a closer look at the big variety of fancy hats that you may see during the big wedding parade of the " Landshuter Hochzeit "
By the hat it was possible to know the profession or rank of a person and sometimes even whether a lady was married or not.
You will also see that each and every person will carry a small ring of flowers - because of the wedding, and even most of the audience buys such a ring as a nice souvenir of the wedding. Prices vary between 2 and 10 Euros.

Fondest memory: Many of these costumes and hats reminded me a lot of the old fairy-tale books , but all of them are 100% authentic and produced especially for this spectacle & wedding-parade.

Favorite thing: Watching these flag-artists at the camp of Landshuter Hochzeit and during the big wedding-parade was really great fun. It was always the best moment, when they threw the big flags up in the air and caught it again themselves or sometimes threw them towards other participants, who caught them simultaneously in a great spectacle. I did not see any mistake or any flag falling on earth ...

Fondest memory: All of these people have ordinary jobs, and throwing these flags is just a hobby, but it looks like they are professionals doing nothing else than this.

Favorite thing: On this picture you may see the small wooden fence that was built simply in order to devide the scenery into one side for the participants of " Landshuter Hochzeit " in their traditional costumes of 1475 and the audience at the other side of the fence.

Fondest memory: In the real wedding of 1475 there were all of a sudden hundreds of " Reisige " ( the old german expression for travellers ) who had to live in such a camp in Landshut at the end of their journey, that took them within 2 months from Poland to Landshut.

Favorite thing: All costumes that you may see as a part of the " Landshuter Hochzeit " are authentic of the time around 1475 and you should see the fun all the participants seem to have, including these young children, carrying the trains of the heavy medieval dresses. None of these small children seem to be unhappy with their carrying role, in the contrary, you may see the fun in their faces...

Fondest memory: All of that village with wooden houses and straw-thatched roofs, that you may see on my picture is constructed only for the festivity and will be removed again afterwards.

Favorite thing: Watch out for the young ladies at the "Lagerleben" and when you are lucky you may see the young ladies of maybe 10 years carrying around their own falcon like in the good old medieval times.These birds will almost not move at all and the young ladies will love to pose proudly for a picture.

Fondest memory: "Lagerleben " (the life in the camp) is in my opinion the very best part of activity during the festival on "Landshuter Hochzeit von 1475" as it offers plenty of great views behind the fence, that marks the line between our time and the year 1475. You pay 2 Euros for the entrance and may stay in the camp untill late at night every friday, saturday and sunday.

Favorite thing: One of the highlights of the "Landshuter Hochzeitszug" - besides the bride's carriage of course - is the sedan-chair of Herzog Ludwig der Reiche ( duke Ludwig the Rich ), the father of the groom. The negotiations about the marriage lasted almost 2 years and Ludwig der Reiche had finally to pay 32000 Guilders to get a pretty bride for his son.(todays equivalent is about 6.500.000 Euros) A marriage between the 2 families also ment plenty of new possibilities to make business between Bavaria and Poland, that was the most powerful country in eastern Europe of that time.

Fondest memory: Watch out for the many funny characters participating in the parade. All of them are fully involved and seem to be these persons in reality, especially the old duke of Landshut in his sedan-chair...

Favorite thing: This is a picture of the Polish Princess Jadwiga / Hedwig in her golden, royal carriage during the "Hochzeitszug" (the wedding-parade taking place each sunday at 02.00p.m. during the 2 weeks of the festivity).
Hedwig is greeting the population of Landshut, a place that she never saw before and speaking a language she did not know, on the way to the cathedral of St.Martin, where she would meet her future husband. People said, she was crying, when she saw her husband, because he was not handsome at all...
and she was sad when she found out, that she had nothing to say in the kingdom of her husband, she was not envolved in the governement, but had to stay the rest of her life in Burghausen, another castle, 30km south of Landshut.
That way her golden carriage turned into a golden cage for the rest of her life. They had 5 children, but only 2 daughters survived. Hedwig died in 1502 in Burghausen.

Fondest memory: Make sure you have a chance to watch that wedding-parade, it is certainly the highlight of the festivity. Bringing your own chair or standing along the street is free of charge, ONLY the the seat-tickets at the terraces have to be payed.