Bad Dürkheim Wurstmarkt

The Wurstmarkt is documented from 1417, when pilgrims walking to a chapel on the Michaelsberg were sold sausage and wine on the way, and it grew into what is generally called the largest wine festival in the world, drawing several hundred thousand people over two weekends in September. Wine is served in a half-litre glass called a Schoppen, and the small stalls known as Schubkärchler are the traditional part. Beside the ground stands the Dürkheimer Riesenfass, built in 1934 in the shape of a wine barrel with a capacity of about one and seven-tenths million litres; it has never held wine and has always been a restaurant.

Highlights

• The giant barrel - a 1934 restaurant built as a 1.7 million litre cask.
• The Schubkärchler - traditional small stalls at the festival's core.
• The Schoppen glass - wine served in half-litre measures.
• The 1417 origin - a market documented from the pilgrimage route.

When to go

September, over two weekends and the days between; the festival draws several hundred thousand people and accommodation across the region books out.

Practical notes

It is very crowded and loud, closer to a large funfair than a wine tasting. Accommodation is booked out for miles. Outside September there is only the barrel.

Nearby

The German Wine Route passes through; the Palatinate Forest rises west.