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Riders present their horses during the traditional horse market in Quirnbach, which always takes place the second Wednesday in November. — Courtesy photos
A fest of a special kind lures visitors every second Wednesday in November to Quirnbach. It’s the Quirnbach horse market. The event will include horse presentations, horse awards, vendors, food specialties, musical entertainment and a lottery.
“We are a village with 500 inhabitants, and last year we welcomed about15,000 visitors to our traditional horse market,” said Elke Blomeyer from the organizing team. “About 60 horses of 10 breeds will be presented and awarded from
9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.”
In between the presentation of each single horse, there will be show performances with various horses and wagons. After the horse-awarding ceremony, some horses will be up for sale.
About 100 vendor stands will offer a variety of merchandise, including clothes, horse equipment, arts and crafts, jewelry and sweets.
Food stands will serve potato waffles, bratwurst, pea soup, ham hocks, pizza and more.
In the fest tent, visitors can enjoy food specialties and listen to live bands.
The horse market is famous for its lottery, where nice prizes can be won.
“Prizes include a seven-day boat cruise for two persons, an LED smart TV and a whiskey tasting with (a) four-course menu in a regional hotel,” Blomeyer said.
Tickets cost €1 and are being sold in the village and at the market.
The Quirnbach horse market is based on a long market tradition.
In 1444, historical documents mention the first market in Quirnbach called “Bartholomaeusmarkt.” The local church, Bartholomaeus Church, was known as a place for pilgrimage. With the pilgrims, the vendors came to sell all kinds of merchandise. Quirnbach turned into a community with monthly markets after the town of Kusel was burnt down during the French Revolution in 1794. The Kusel markets had to move to Quirnbach. According to a document dated April 26, 1799, every third day of the month a cattle market was authorized. After Kusel was rebuilt, city officials wanted the markets back. But vendors and farmers from the local areas and even neighboring countries wanted to keep going to Quirnbach. In the years 1856 and 1857, 25 markets were held each year in Quirnbach. Local people made good money with the many restaurants and taverns they needed to feed all the visitors. Until around 1900, every second house in the village was turned into such a place.
After around the middle of the 19th century, horses were not only owned by noble people but also used as draught animals by farmers. Quirnbach decided to hold its first horse market on Saint Martin’s Day in 1877. The date in November was a good one for farmers. The crop was in, and the financial situation was balanced. People had the time to visit the horse market. They sat together, celebrated and had fun. They started having dances. Since at that time it still was customary for parents to betroth their children without asking them, the horse market turned into the “marriage market.”
Also, the village asked the government to give authorization to hold a lottery where people could win household items and agricultural machines. The main prizes were horses. The first time, 5,000 lottery tickets were sold. In 1892, 24,000 tickets were sold and in 1893, more than 300 ticket vendors traveled through the Pfalz to sell the tickets.
After World War II and due to a growing motorization of agriculture, the cattle and horse market lost its importance. Better streets allowed farmers to visit their cattle dealers at any time and not only during the market.
Soon Bartholomaeusmarkt was celebrated as a village carnival.
In the beginning of the 1980s, community officials, local clubs and business people helped to revive the horse market and the lottery.
Quirnbach is located near Glan-Muenchweiler on autobahn A62.
The main road in Quirnbach will be closed to motorized traffic.
The German railroad company will offer additional trains departing train stations between Kusel and Glan-Muenchweiler and Kaiserslautern and Glan-Muenchweiler. Busses will be available at the Glan-Muenchweiler train station to take visitors to the horse market. For details, visit www.vrn.de.
