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Lower Bavaria<br />
44<br />
45<br />
Lower Bavaria<br />
Landshut Wedding: Experience the Middle Ages in a Modern Way<br />
The Landshut Wedding is one of Europe’s most meaningful<br />
historical pageants attracting far more than half a million<br />
visitors from all over the world to come to Landshut, where<br />
the Lower Bavarian government is located.<br />
Since 1903, the people of Landshut have re-enacted the<br />
nuptial festivities of the Bavarian Duke George of Landshut<br />
and the Polish princess Hedwig, which took place in<br />
November 1475. At the end of the Middle Ages, the family<br />
relation of these two royal houses was accompanied by an<br />
important political alliance. It served as a defense against<br />
the Ottoman threat at that time and made a contribution to<br />
the harmonization of Central and Eastern Europe. The end<br />
of the Gothic era heralded the age of Humanism for the<br />
ducal city of Landshut with its majestic Trausnitz Castle<br />
towering over the hills of the city upon the “Waning of the<br />
Middle Ages” back then. New architectural styles blend<br />
with the cityscape and the strict Gothic appearance of the<br />
royal city.<br />
Today, the annual wedding performances are a special<br />
treat for the people of Landshut and all international visitors.<br />
The whole city spends months, sometimes years, to<br />
prepare for this event.<br />
Men, women and children of all ages rehearse walk-on<br />
roles, study historic customs and let their hair grow longer<br />
for medieval hair styles. During the festive days, Landshut<br />
turns into a historic open-air theater and the narrow alleys<br />
of the historic center become the stage for several scenes<br />
from the medieval city life.<br />
The climax of this historic spectacle is the wedding procession<br />
through the city center of Landshut with roundabout<br />
2,300 actors wearing authentic garment dating back<br />
to 1475. At the showground, equestrian games and knight<br />
fights are staged. Visitors can participate in the medieval<br />
camp life and taste contemporary delicacies.<br />
The Landshut Wedding offers something for every taste<br />
and represents the character of this region, as well as<br />
both local ties and cosmopolitanism.
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