Let's travel back in time: The legendary Peter and Paul Festival in Bretten!

Let's travel back in time: The legendary Peter and Paul Festival in Bretten!

On Saturday, July 5, 2025, there will be a day trip to the Kirchheim unter Teck literary advisory board as part of the “Times of Change” event series Peter and Paul Festival in Bretten. This festival is one of the oldest local festivals in Europe and has the motto: “A city lives its history”. The memory of the siege of the city in 1504 during the War of the Landshut Succession, when Duke Ulrich of Württemberg failed there, is particularly striking.

The festival weekend is characterized by a variety of events that involve over 3,000 participants in historical costumes. This includes camp life, parades, music and scenic reenactments of historical conflicts. A special highlight is the reenactment of the “Battle of Brettheim” in the evening, which begins at around 7:00 p.m. and offers a standing-room-only event with impressive background noise from cannon fire. However, there is an additional charge for entry to the battle.

Schedule of the day trip

The excursion starts at 10:00 a.m. at Kirchheimer Ziegelwasen. After arriving in Bretten, a visit to the Melanchthonhaus, the birthplace of Philipp Melanchthon, is planned at 12:00 p.m. Afterwards there will be a self-paying lunch together in the historic farmer's camp, followed by some free time.

The return journey is scheduled for 9:00 p.m., arriving in Kirchheim around 10:30 p.m. The total cost for this excursion is 47.00 euros per person, which includes both the return journey and entry to the Peter and Paul Festival and the Melanchthon House. The optional entry to the evening battle costs an additional 3.00 euros. Registration is required by Wednesday, June 20, 2025 at the latest.

Cultural significance of the Peter and Paul festival

The Peter and Paul Festival in Bretten was included in UNESCO's nationwide “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage” in 2014 and is therefore recognized as an important cultural heritage. In recent years the event has grown in importance, particularly with the formation of a working group aimed at more closely linking historical festivals and adding several traditions to the UNESCO list. This is also reflected in the invitation of representatives of other historical festivals, such as the Dinkelsbühler Kinderzeche, to the Landshut wedding.

The event is an impressive example of how cultural traditions can be preserved and celebrated. Especially in a time of change, it is important to maintain such legacies and pass them on to future generations. Further information about the festival is available at www.peter-und-paul.de to find.