Der Drachenstich - Festspiele

Roberto Magni By Foto ReD Photographic Agency - The oldest folk drama in Germany (Slaying of the Dragon) festival is Germany's oldest and one of the most impressive traditional folk spectacles, held every August in Furth im Wald in the Bavarian Forest.

Dating back 500 years, the event includes a re-enactment of the slaying of a dragon that threatened the town in the middle ages. Furth im Wald is therefore known as the City of Dragons and the history of the little town is full of legends and rituals. For 2020 Slaying of the Dragon will take place July 31 to 16 August, 2020. In the Bavarian Forest near the German-Czech border, a fearsome dragon menaces the small town of Furth. But fortunately, year after year, the valiant locals confront and eventually manage to slay it.

The pageant's origins date right back to 1590 when slaying the dragon was part of the Corpus Christi procession. Later it became a separate event and was given a regular date in the summer. Over time the pageant has been sensitively modernised and updated. The dragon-slaying is enacted ten times or so during the festival, a feat involving some 1,400 participants, around 250 horses and all manner of props from wagons to cannons. But there's no doubt that the real star is the new dragon that has dominated the stage since 2010. It really is a monster, the biggest walking robot in the world, weighing eleven tonnes, standing 4.5 metres tall and measuring over 15 metres in length. Its top speed is 1.5 kilometres an hour; it roars, breathes fire and smoke and has a 16-metre wingspan.

There's also an exciting programme of pageant activities: shooting, a medieval market, bird of prey displays, a grand historical procession and a traditional German volksfest with a beer garden and funfair. An ancient legend tells: A dragon lived a long time ago, who changed from the protector of humans to their greatest enemy. At that time the dragon was banned. But deep in the earth, he waits for his return. The blood of a mighty war can bring him back to life. Exactly this war loomed in August 1431: Emperor Sigismund had the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus burned at the stake. Since then the Bohemia have risen against the emperor.

A powerful army of knights and mercenaries is gathering in Furth im Wald for the crusade against the Bohemia, fired up by the eloquent Father Willibald. A delicate romance grows in the shadow of war: the mistress of Furth loves the scout Udo, who is far below her rank. Will the knight's guardian, Peter von Chamerau, pave the way for this impossible wedding? The fate can hardly be stopped: Under the leadership of the knight Erasmus von Sattelbogen, the imperial army marches to Bohemia. The leader of the crusade arrives in Furth at the last second: the powerful Cardinal Cesarini, a descendant of Julius Caesar. Jan, a negotiator from Bohemia, wants to persuade the cardinal and his seductive secretary to make peace before the blood of a mighty battle unleashes the dragon. Perhaps a famous story from the crusades in the Holy Land can now convince the cardinal of peace ... Father Willibald returns from Bohemia. Can the fate be stopped? Or will war unleash the dragon - and will the darkest Bible prophecy come true ...?

The Further Dragon 2010 was the year of the new Further kite! The birth of a legend. The largest four-legged walking robot in the world (entered in the Guinness Book of Records) - full of the latest electronics and amazing special effects. The new Further Dragon has an enormous tradition with huge paws: The dragon has been stung in Furth in the forest for more than 500 years. This is how the mythical creature became a reality: Under the leadership of Zollner Elektronik AG, more than 20 companies and institutions came together to realize the high-tech monster: Hollywood's effects specialists from Magicon were there as well as leading mechatronics and metal construction companies up to AUDI and the German Center for Air and space technology. Overall, it is 15.50 meters long, 3.80 meters wide, 4.50 meters high, has a wingspan of 12 meters and a weight of 11 tons. This is how engineering and the imagination of designer Sikander Goldau flowed together to give you an unforgettable experience! Official Photographers Roberto magni e Daniela Comi By Foto ReD Photographic Agency Italy Drachenstich-Festspiele Furth im Wald (Stadtplatz) www.drachenstich.de www.redmagazine.red