Precision landing at the kerwa

The limmersdorfer lindenkirchweih, which will be celebrated again in a few days and attract thousands of visitors, represents a centuries-old and originally widespread tradition that is now only practiced in its original form in a few towns in upper franconia and thuringia.

Ancient dance lime tree

In the center of the lindenkirchweih stands the ancient dance lime tree, in whose treetop a dance platform is installed. Festively dressed kerwaburschen and -madla dance to dance band music turners and waltzes. In limmersdorf the festival has been held since 1729 in the days around bartholoma (24. August) celebrated. It is the undisputed social high point of village life and represents a tradition that is of great importance to the village.

In 2015, the limmersdorfer lindenkirchweih was included in the nationwide and in 2016 in the bavarian list of intangible cultural heritage as an outstanding example of living cultural, identity-forming expression. Last year, the limmersdorfer lindenkirchweih also received the bavarian homeland award.

The market town of thurnau, together with the architekturburo drenske, kulmbach, and the companies involved, has succeeded in renovating the former community center through the office for rural development with funds from the forderoffensive nordostbayern in a kind of "precision landing to renovate fundamentally. Mayor martin bernreuther (CSU): "we started the work in spring this year and there are only minor finishing works to be done, but basically the building will be ready and usable for the lindenkirchweih in a few days"."

The former community center below the dance lime tree, which is owned by the market community, will later be used – as before – by the local associations. The financing of the total costs of around 550000 euros through the north-east bavaria demand initiative was a stroke of luck for the market town of thurnau: "but we also had a good planner in the architekturburo drenske and a local construction manager in berthold popp from thurnau, who had everything under control." As mayor martin bernreuther (CSU) explained, it was important for the market thurnau to create a structure in the community center. This also includes a handicapped-accessible toilet and a large community room, in which the association for the preservation of the linden church consecration tradition mainly has its domicile.

All rooms were equipped with new flooring and the building was also energetically renovated.

The upper floor has been developed in such a way that it can be used individually, i.E. Theoretically also for a community apartment or for a youth center.

Mayor bernreuther: "but that is still to be decided by the market town council, what exactly we are going to do there for a use." The reconstruction of further buildings at the tanzlindenplatz for the installation of an exhibition and documentation center for tanzlinden and tanzlinden customs as well as a redesign of the tanzlinden area to secure the church fair are still in the planning stage. "This acceptance project has been submitted to various other demanders and the key demander that it can work at all is ‘leader’", according to bernreuther

The local action group kulmbacher land e.V. Gave its basic approval a few weeks ago and is making available from its project budget an amount of up to 370,000 euros as a share of the total requirement of 1 million euros. However, it is not yet the final approval, as bernreuther makes clear: "we are very grateful for the approval of the leader project for the church fair in limmersdorf, but I must nevertheless put the brakes on the fact that we can only start the project if all the demanders also give their approval. The municipal council has given its approval under certain conditions. I am therefore pleased that the first approvals have now been received, but at the same time I have to say that we are still waiting for some of them. When they come, we will go full speed with the project again. I am very grateful to our district administrator and also to the president of the district council, henry schramm, for their commitment to various donors in this context."

Making tradition tangible

For the documentation and didactic preparation of the limmersdorfer lindenkirchweih an open-air documentation including archive and library, which is accessible free of charge all year round, should be set up on the festival grounds. It should explain the tradition by means of models, dioramas, pictures, text and film material and give the visitor also outside of the kirchweih a lively impression of this special festival. In addition, the access to the festival site is to be carried out from the rear, so that a festival operation without disturbances can be ensured and the listed buildings will not be endangered for a long time.

Second mayor veit pohlmann (FDP), who is also chairman of the association of the demand and preservation of the limmersdorf linden church consecration tradition, states: "we are first of all grateful that the market thurnau has made the first mabnahme with the community center. For the further measures in the planning it is crucial that leader has entered together with the office for land development. This is about the infrastructure around the lindenplatz, which opens up the lindenkirchweih from the other side. We are working on this and we are trying to make it possible through grants and hopefully it will be successful. Our task is to turn this into a concept that can be financed."