"Birthplace of the Witch" Offenburg by Kathrin_E

Offenburg Witch with offspring

Offenburg is known to most travelers as a stop on the ICE train route between Frankfurt and Basel. Some even change trains here to enter the Black Forest. Hardly anyone ventures into town. Offenburg is, I admit, not the most spectacular attraction in the Upper Rhine Valley. Its vicinity to the French border has caused some destructions in history. The town, once a free imeprial city, burnt to ashes in 1689 and World War II did not spare it either. Nevertheless there are some pretty angles in the old town and some remarkable buildings worth a closer look.

In the Alemannic fastnacht, Offenburg has gained fame as the birthplace of the first and oldest witch guild. Nowadays witches are a common costume and there is hardly a parade without several witch groups, but in fact this figure is rather young. Only in the 1930s some people in Offenburg invented a witch costume, which then became the Häs of the newly founded Hexenzunft.

During the Karlsruhe Glühwein Meeting 2011, Offenburg became the destination of that year's Christmas market excursion. A bunch of VTers enjoyed a tour of the town, guided by yumyum, and a visit to the local market.

Here we are:
Standing, left to right: Zajem, HORSCHECK, MATIM, gubbi1
Seated: Belsaita, nhcram, Bernd_L, marielexoteria, Igraine, Kathrin_E, Russell_the_Wombat, Marcel (husband of MATIM), yumyum
(And many thanks to the nice young couple who were loaded with a dozen cameras and took the group photos for all of us.)