Colors of Koblenz - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Koblenz is very interesting for its history and traditions, and even today locals pay a lot of attention to honoring them. A huge number of unusual and symbolic monuments, beautiful historical holidays and festivals will help you get acquainted with the special local way of life. People here love to have fun together, most interesting holidays and festivals are held in the spring season.

During this period, the Ehrenbreitstein Castle, the main historical symbol of Koblenz, becomes one of the most attractive objects. During historical reenactments arranged on the castle grounds, you can admire actors wearing old-fashioned clothes and take part in interesting competitions.

Attending one of the historical holidays, one can learn to shoot a bow and wield a sword, as well as try special dishes that were popular with locals hundreds of years ago. On days of such historical holidays, the castle’s territory turns into a real ancient town. Craft and blacksmiths shops, pottery workshops and weapon forges open, a fair is often organized during the festivals. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In May, the city hosts the traditional KoblenzInternational Guitar Festival, which is participated by talented guitarists from around the world. The main events of this festival are musical concerts, master classes and training programs on playing guitar are held for visitors. The city's main concert venue during the festival is Rhein-Mosel-Halle. Performances of famous guitarists, thematic seminars and meet-and-greets with popular musicians are held in this hall.

At the very beginning of summer, the Augustas Weinuferfest wine festival named after Empress Augusta is held in Koblenz. Local people consider wine-making traditions one of the most important components of the national culture. The wine village of Weindorf Koblenz well known throughout Europe can be found in the city. In this thematic museum, one can try the best regional wines, as well as learn a lot of interesting things about the traditions of their production. The wine village is a permanent venue for gastronomic festivals and wine tastings, a number of excellent restaurants serving regional cuisine are open here.

In July, the city hosts the Farbrausch Festival, which always attracts many young tourists. The event is dedicated to sports and modern electronic music. Its program includes sports competitions and demonstration performances of athletes accompanied by themed music. Venues for sports programs are set in city parks and squares where all comers can watch performances of athletes free of charge.

Koblenz joins the large-scale fireworks festival Rhein In Flammen, which is annually held in August. During the festival, unforgettable firework shows are organized on the river bank every evening. The festival program also includes music concerts and gastronomic events. The city lives a very rich cultural and sports life. No month is complete without holding interesting festivals, which always attract many foreign guests.

Many interesting and unusual symbols of the city can be explored on foot. All districts of Koblenz have their unusual monuments, each of which is certainly associated with an interesting story or legend. One of the most famous monuments is the Schängel - "Spitting Boy". This fountain was erected on the Old Town square in 1940. It is dedicated to a difficult historical period for the city. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Koblenz was ruled by France; during this time, many local women gave birth to illegitimate children from French soldiers. Illegitimate boys were called "Schängel" - a derivative from the common French name Jean. Such an insulting nickname for illegitimate boys had been common in the city for many more years, but over time, it has lost its historical meaning.

Today, absolutely any little boy can be called Schängel; this word no longer has any offensive overtones. The unusual sculpture on the main square has an interesting feature - the boy spits water every five minutes. Tourists who've decided to take a picture of the symbolic monument need to be especially careful and pay attention to wet spots on the asphalt. By them, one can predict the approximate trajectory of the spit, which falls directly into the lens of many curious tourists with cameras.