Below is a brief history of the Oktoberfest that is held yearly in Munich, German. The first Oktoberfest took place in the year 1810, and was held in the month of October. The year 1811 saw the first of the exhibitions of agriculture and animals. The best of the horses and oxen were awarded prizes. In the year 1815 the first "Meadowbeer" (Oktoberfest beer) was introduced. This appears to be a beer that was brewed especially for the Oktoberfest. It was most probably one of the last brews just before the kegs were laid down to start the "Bock" beer for the coming springtime. By the year 1820 the first semblance of the modern Oktoberfest came into being. By that year, they were using special beer huts for the serving of beer. Also, by that time, they were selling many snacks, such as W�rste, to the attendees. By the year 1835 over 100,000 people, from many far off places, were regularly attending the Oktoberfest. The volume of beer drinking that year was in excess of 67,000 gallons of beer for the festival period. We are not certain the period length of the festival at that time. In the year 1871 a German-Bavarian law was passed requiring the measure of beer to be just slightly over one liter. However, they rarely met, or today meet, this requirement insofar as it contains a hefty head of foam. It is estimated that it is closer to 0.8 liter of beer. In the year 1872 the start of the Oktoberfest was officially moved to the month of September. This was accomplished due to the fact that October was often quite cold, which affected the attendance and brought about many complaints concerning the weather.
Sometime in the 1880's the breweries first introduced the Keferloher (beer mugs made from stoneware) with their own company logos imprinted on them for advertising purposes. In the year 1901 the first electrical lighting was installed. By the year 1910 (the 100 year anniversary of the Oktoberfest) the amount of beer served exceeded 350,000 gallons during the festival. During the years 1939 to 1948 the Oktoberfest was not celebrated due to the ongoing world war. The year 2002 saw nearly six million visitors to the Oktoberfest celebration. They also served nearly 1,600,000 gallons of beer. The Oktoberfest celebration is now known worldwide and is looked forward to by the peoples from many nations. It has spread area wide in Munich and is truly an event to be attended and enjoyed. Although the Oktoberfest celebrations are available throughout the United States, they are only a very small peek into what the Munich celebration is all about for the Oktoberfest attendees. One place that is a "must" for visitors to the Munich area, during the Oktoberfest, is the Hofbr�u Festhaus, M�nchen. This is in the typical Hofbr�u style. They can seat 6,898 persons inside and 3,022 persons outside. Hofbr�uhaus (Royal Court Brewery) in Munich is on a somewhat smaller scale than the Hofbr�u Festhaus, M�nchen, but, it is the original Hofbr�u. It is said that Wilhelm V was plagued with money problems when he had finished the construction of the St. Michael's Church in Munich. He was also faced with a rather large (on the order of 600 plus) household that did, indeed, enjoy their beer. The yearly beer requirement for the household was approximately 130,000 liters (217 liters per person). In order to cut down the beer costs, it was suggested that a brewery be built adjacent to the royal court. This was accomplished and did, in fact, save in the costs of the beer. This Hofbr�uhaus was established in the year 1589. The atmosphere is as typically Bavarian as one can find. |
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