Oktoberfest - we are one of the sponsors
Saturday, September 12 2009
Today, the Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world, held for two weeks at the break of September and October in Munich, and attracts some 6 million visitors from all around the world each year. They drink 60 thousand hectoliters of beer in large traditional glasses called „Mass”. Only six largest Munich breweries - Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, and Hofbräu – are permitted to sell during the event. In Wroclaw, Lower Silesia, the event, however, didn’t escape the influence of this multicultural city.
Four international chambers:– the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland, Polish-German Chamber of Commerce, and Europa Forum organised INERNATIONAL OKTOBERFEST business event on September 21st. Over 500 guests, mainly senior managers of Polish and international companies, members of the four chambers, enjoyed a hot September night out drinking over 1000 litres of traditional Oktoberfest beer Paulaner topped with traditional ,,Munich Pretzel’’ but also a variety of beers provided by local Browar Namyslów and renown Browar Belgia from Kielce. Bavarian music alternated with lively bagpipe music from Scotland and exquisite American jazz, live shows of fire dancers and other attractions entertained guests late into the night.
The event was opened by the Governor of Lower Silesia, Mr Krzysztof Grzelczyk, and the Mayor of Wroclaw, Mr Rafal Dutkiewicz, followed by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Wroclaw, Dr Helmut Schöps, newly appointed US Consul General Ms Anne Hall, and newly appointed UK Consul General and Director of Trade & Investment Mr Paul Fox. History of Oktoberfest, Munich
Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields have been named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's fields") in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the "Wies'n". Horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria.
The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest. In 1811 an added feature to the horse races was the first Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. The horse races, which were the oldest and - at one time - the most popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds. In the first few decades the choice of amusements was sparse. The first carousel and two swings were set up in 1818. Visitors were able to quench their thirst at small beer stands which grew rapidly in number. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries.
The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a fun-fair. The range of carousels etc. on offer was already increasing rapidly in the 1870s as the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany. Today, the Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world, with an international flavor characteristic of the 21th century: some 6 million visitors from all around the world converge on the Oktoberfest each year. And since the Oktoberfest is still held on the Theresienwiese, the locals still refer to the event simply as the "Wies'n". So "welcome to the Wies'n" means nothing other than "welcome to the Oktoberfest"! (text courtesy of Paulaner).
Four international chambers:– the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland, Polish-German Chamber of Commerce, and Europa Forum organised INERNATIONAL OKTOBERFEST business event on September 21st. Over 500 guests, mainly senior managers of Polish and international companies, members of the four chambers, enjoyed a hot September night out drinking over 1000 litres of traditional Oktoberfest beer Paulaner topped with traditional ,,Munich Pretzel’’ but also a variety of beers provided by local Browar Namyslów and renown Browar Belgia from Kielce. Bavarian music alternated with lively bagpipe music from Scotland and exquisite American jazz, live shows of fire dancers and other attractions entertained guests late into the night.
The event was opened by the Governor of Lower Silesia, Mr Krzysztof Grzelczyk, and the Mayor of Wroclaw, Mr Rafal Dutkiewicz, followed by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Wroclaw, Dr Helmut Schöps, newly appointed US Consul General Ms Anne Hall, and newly appointed UK Consul General and Director of Trade & Investment Mr Paul Fox. History of Oktoberfest, Munich
Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields have been named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's fields") in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the "Wies'n". Horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria.
The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest. In 1811 an added feature to the horse races was the first Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. The horse races, which were the oldest and - at one time - the most popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds. In the first few decades the choice of amusements was sparse. The first carousel and two swings were set up in 1818. Visitors were able to quench their thirst at small beer stands which grew rapidly in number. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries.
The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a fun-fair. The range of carousels etc. on offer was already increasing rapidly in the 1870s as the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany. Today, the Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world, with an international flavor characteristic of the 21th century: some 6 million visitors from all around the world converge on the Oktoberfest each year. And since the Oktoberfest is still held on the Theresienwiese, the locals still refer to the event simply as the "Wies'n". So "welcome to the Wies'n" means nothing other than "welcome to the Oktoberfest"! (text courtesy of Paulaner).
