The Munich 'Schäfflertanz'

Its origins date from 1517, when Munich was ravaged by the plague. Shops were closed, farmers no longer dared to go into the town; and not only food supplies, but also community life almost succumbed entirely.

This of course also threatened the existence of the barrel-makers. So the they had the idea of cheering people up and tempting them out of their homes with an amusing spectacle. The barrel-makers performed a round dance to the sound of music, with arches decorated with green leaves. Very soon life returned to the streets of Munich and the barrel-makers had achieved their objective.

To honour and commemorate this, the tradition has been continued once every 7 years, from the Feast of the Epiphany to Shrove Tuesday. The 'Schäfflertanz' dance has also been performed in Aschheim since 1886, most recently in 2019. Every generation of our innkeeper family has participated in this spectacle.