Stelzen presents itself as a Gallic village at the festival

Village festival, soccer and archers on horseback

Of course, as every year, classics such as the village festival, the Stelzen Clásico - a soccer match between a selection of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and FC Traktor Stelzen - and the Sunday church concert are on the program. During the festival, the "Bund der Steppenreiter" will be holding a qualifying tournament for the German Mounted Archery Championships on the Stelzenberg. The finale on Sunday evening will feature Bach's Mass in B minor with the Collegium Vocale Leipzig, the Merseburg Court Music and a soloist ensemble under the direction of Michael Schönheit.

"Bachwiese" presents the composer's complete works non-stop

When the last bars have faded away, the "Bachwiese" in the middle of the town will continue for a whole week - with canned music. Music lovers can then enjoy Bach's complete works in CD quality around the clock for a whole week. The loudspeakers hang in a tree. The format premiered in the Bach Year 2000 and has since become a classic in its own right.

Former Gewandhaus violist Henry Schneider founded the festival in his home village in 1993. Stelzen is located in Thuringia, Reuth two kilometers away in Saxony. Bavaria is not far away either. The name of the festival alludes to a similarity in sound to the Bayreuth Festival.

With original programs, Stelzen quickly became known nationwide. Even media from abroad reported on it. In some years, several thousand fans made a pilgrimage to the village, briefly increasing the local population of around 200 inhabitants many times over.

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