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A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shooting abilities, for example, by shooting at a wooden representation of an
eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
. The competition's winner becomes the ''Schützenkönig'' ("king of marksmen") until the following year's competition. The commercially-organized
Hanover Schützenfest The Hanover Marksmen's Festival () in Hanover, Lower Saxony is the largest Schützenfest, marksmen's festival in the world. Founded in , the festival takes place once a year. It is commercially organized and includes a large entertainment prog ...
, Germany, is the largest marksmen's funfair in the world with more than 7,000 marksmen, 250 rides and inns, five large beer tents, and the "Marksmen's Parade". The parade, with more than 10,000 participants from Germany and all over the world and more than 100 bands, is long. It is the longest parade in the world. The landmark of the funfair is one of the highest transportable big wheels (US = Ferris wheels) in the world. It is high and offers seating for 420 people in 42 cabins.


History

Schützenvereine (associations of marksmen) und Schützenfeste (their festivals) belong to communal life in the Germanic regions of Europe. Their tradition dates back for centuries and has continued to the present day. The word ''Schütze'' means marksman and protector, as contained in "to shield", e.g., a ''Schutzmann'' is a German policeman. The pride of strong-armed self-defense underlies the popularity of Schützenvereine comparable to the popularity of volunteer fire brigades, particularly in smaller towns or villages. The main event of a Schützenfest is the shooting competition to determine the marksmen's king (Schützenkönig) of the following year. The traditional trophy for the winner is an Ehrenscheibe or Königsscheibe, a painted target disk. In rural districts, one finds gables of houses decorated with them. Schießscheibe (2).jpg, Modern Ehrenscheibe from Austria, 2011 Schießscheibe (3).jpg, Ehrenscheibe from 1744 (Museum St. Veit an der Glan) Schießscheibe (4).jpg, Target Disk from 1722 (Museum St. Veit an der Glan) Schützenscheibe Zimmerbüchsen-Schützengesellschaft v. 1864 Wörth a.d. Donau.JPG, Target Disk from 1872 (1864er Schützen Wörth an der Donau) Scheibe04.jpg, Historical Königsscheibe with Wooden Pegs


Swiss Schützenfests

In Switzerland, the first national Swiss Federal Shooting Festival (Eidgenössisches Schützenfest) was held in 1824, but the local festivals also date back centuries earlier. Shooting medals and shooting cups seem to be the common forms of Swiss awards. Swiss shooting medals were struck in a variety of metals including
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
,
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
, white metal, and
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
, with silver being the most common. Mintages are very low, with the average mintage of the silver being 700-800 pieces. The scarcity of medals has increased over the years due to the awards being melted for bullion, being lost, and general attrition. The size of most medals range from to with being the most prevalent. Shooting thalers are coins minted to commemorate shooting festivals. Swiss shooting thalers began mintage in 1842, with the '' Eidgenössisches Schützenfest'' in
Chur '' Chur (locally) or ; ; ; ; ; ; or ; , and . is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, town of the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of the Grisons and lies in the Alpine Rhine, Grisonian Rhine Valley, where ...
, still under the cantonal authority of Graubünden. Shooting thalers between 1855 and 1934 were minted under federal authority, and were
legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that Standard of deferred payment, courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything ...
(with a nominal value of 5
francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
). Shooting thalers continue to be minted today, but since 1939 are no longer legal tender. During the Middle Ages, many towns had to find ways to defend themselves from gangs of marauders. For this reason, clubs and associations were founded, comparable to
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
s; these
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
associations were sanctioned for the first time in the ''Law for the Defensive Constitution of the Towns'' by King Henry I, and officially integrated into the towns' defense plans. Accompanying the military exercises and physical examinations of the towns' contingents, festivities were combined with festive processions. Participants from other parishes and, at times, even the feudal heads of state were also invited to these ''Marksmen's Courts'' (''Schützenhöfe''). However, the self-confident spirit of the townsfolk that marked these festivities was not always regarded positively by the authorities. For this reason, different traditions developed in other regions. The military significance lessened over the centuries and became meaningless with the creation of regular troops and garrisons for national defense. The Schützenfests, however, continued in the form of a regional patriotic tradition.


Switzerland

''Schützenfeste'' played a central role in the
Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...
, during the 15th century, participants shooting the
crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...
, contributing significantly to the coherence between the individual cantons. '' Eidgenössische Schützenfeste'' were organized by the '' Schweizerischer Schützenverein'' in the Restored Confederacy, for the first time in 1824. The first federal ''Schützenfest'' after the formation of the
federal state A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...
, again held in Aarau, in 1849, figures prominently in Gottfried Kellers '' Das Fähnlein der Sieben Aufrechten'', where Keller portrays the shooting clubs as vital for the preservation of
direct democracy Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate directly decides on policy initiatives, without legislator, elected representatives as proxies, as opposed to the representative democracy m ...
in the young Swiss federal state. Further festivals were held between 1859 and 1939 at irregular intervals of 2 to 4 years, and between 1949 and 1977, at intervals of 3 to 6 years. From 1985, the ''Eidgenössisches Schützenfest'' was held regularly every five years. The 2020 event, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, Countless cantonal and regional ''Schützenfeste'' take place in Switzerland every year.


Germany

Schützenfests are celebrated mainly in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
and
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
, but also in the Lower Rhine and
Middle Rhine Middle Rhine (, ; kilometres 529 to 660 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bingen and Bonn in Germany. It flows through the Rhine Gorge (), a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift i ...
regions as well as in
Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...
(especially the
Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...
), with festive processions. Since
German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
, Schützenfests have also begun to emerge in eastern parts of Germany. The traditions connected to the Schützenfest vary significantly from one region to another in Germany. These traditions include the "Blow of the Flag" (a particular way of waving a flag). The Blow of the Flag in particular, and the waving of the flag in general, are executed according to fixed rules. Competitions are held in the discipline of flag-waving. Schützenfests may range from one day to several days and may include and be accompanied by various events. They often occur in the festival room of a local
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
or in a pavilion especially erected for the occasion. In the Sauerland, many towns have a special Marksmen's Hall that is used for these festivities. Many Schützenfests start with a festive procession, whereby the reigning King of Marksmen, the royal household, and local dignitaries are all escorted by the marksmen and paraded to the festive square or the festivities. This is often followed by a "royal parade" where the marksmen march past the king and the royal court, with
marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
s, Corps of Drums, and fanfare bands playing along. The parading marksmen are formed in platoons or squads depending on the size of the formation, and in large towns and cities, marksmen are formed in companies and in both cases of the parade
color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is highly prestigious, and the mil ...
s march along with them. In a lot of cases, the pavilion is surrounded by a
funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
. The most common form of shooting competition is the ''Bird Shooting''. The contestants no longer shoot at actual birds but on a mock bird made of wood and mounted on a pole. The contestant who demounts the last pieces of the wooden bird is the new King of Marksmen. Varying traditions may include shooting wooden animals other than birds or special awards won by hitting certain body parts, e.g., wings, beak, etc. Even a
Großer Zapfenstreich The ("Grand Tattoo", "Beating Retreat") is a military ceremony performed in Germany and Austria. It is similar to the military tattoo ceremony performed in English-speaking countries, and is the most important ceremonial act executed by the Ger ...
and band concerts form part of the celebrations as well. The Großer Zapfenstreich done in these civil events, even though the military in origin as the festival itself, comprises the marksmen's organizations, torch-bearers, color guards, and a marching band and corps of drums, with an optional fanfare band when needed. Most are done outdoors, and there's an option to have an indoor ceremony done in the same manner as the outdoor ceremony. Many of the groups that help organize these festivities celebrate German pride, local community and state traditions, weapon drills (sans bayonets), and the wearing of local military uniforms. The use of the military hand salute is observed in many of these events. Typically the Bundeswehr marching practice is followed. Some have modern-styled marching bands, or bands modeled on foreign militaries, and march along during the parades with different variants per region. In Neuss, for example, the Rhine Guards Drum and Bugle Corps (based on the bands of the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
), and the Quirinus Band and Bugle Corps (under its current Bandmaster Peter Hosking - Ex Light Division), Germany's 1st ever band and bugles in the traditions of the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
Light Division regiments (now
The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...
), that were based in West Germany during the Cold War years, have been a part of the parades there in recent years. A re-formed band, the Kapellen-Erft Band of the Grenadier Guards, perpetuates the traditions of the Foot Guards regiments of the British
Household Division The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District (British Army), London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards#United Kingdom, foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible f ...
, which were deployed during the Cold War in Lower Saxony. A few corps only make use of the US-style hand-over-heart civil salute during the Großer Zapfenstreich to distinguish these associations from the Bundeswehr, which uses the military hand salute. Notable German ''Schützenfests'' include * Deutsches Bundesschießen: Organised by the German Shooting and Archery Federation, the first German Rifle Meeting was 1862 in
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. So far, the last one was 2011 in Gotha. * The
Hanover Schützenfest The Hanover Marksmen's Festival () in Hanover, Lower Saxony is the largest Schützenfest, marksmen's festival in the world. Founded in , the festival takes place once a year. It is commercially organized and includes a large entertainment prog ...
: The largest Schützenfest in the world, including rifle platoons from all over Germany and the world * The Neuss Schützenfest: The largest Schützenfest in the world that is organized by a single association and does not include platoons from other cities


Overseas

''Schützenfeste'' organized by German or Swiss expatriate communities overseas:


Australia

* Adelaide Schützenfest, run by the South Australian German Association in
Brooklyn Park, South Australia Brooklyn Park is a western suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is located immediately north-east of Adelaide Airport and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) base on Sir Donald Bradman Drive (the Boulevard of Honour ) . It is b ...


Brazil

* Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina


Canada

* Rural Municipality of St. Andrews,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...


Namibia

* The small southern town of
Keetmanshoop Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is named after , a German Empire, German industrialist and benefactor of the city. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023. History Before the colonial era, ...
had a Schützenhaus (''marksmen's club house'') as one of its first buildings, in 1905-07)


United States

* Altamont, Illinois * Brea, California * Artemas, Pennsylvania * Auburn Hills, Michigan * Bow Valley, Nebraska *
Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
* Deshler, Ohio * Ehrhardt, South Carolina *
Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...
* Grapetown, Texas *
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Nevada * New Glarus, Wisconsin *
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
*
Raton, New Mexico Raton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico, United States. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Col ...
(Annual International Schützenfest) *
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California * Westside, Iowa


References


External links


Video showing many aspects of a Schützenfest

2010 Aarau

Newspaper article talking about Deshler, Ohio's annual Schützenfest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schutzenfest Shooting competitions in Germany Shooting competitions in Switzerland Festivals in Switzerland Festivals in Germany