Giant pumpkin competition: record weight and spectacular pumpkin cutting!

Giant pumpkin competition: record weight and spectacular pumpkin cutting!

Autumn is the time of large pumpkins and culinary delights. On Sunday, November 1st, 2025, a spectacular pumpkin slaughter will take place in Klaistow, in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district. There the giants of the pumpkin world are dismantled and visitors can look forward to a real spectacle. The new record pumpkin weighs an impressive 1,034.8 kilos and comes from breeders Michael Schade and Bernd Paul from Elsholz. This means that the magic 1,000 kilo mark was exceeded for the first time at the Brandenburg pumpkin weighing championship, as reported by [Tagesspiegel](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/kurbis-spektakel-riesenkurbisse- Werden-zerlegen-14720777.html).

Growers are very interested in the seeds inside the pumpkins, which they can use as seeds next year. It's not just the competition that's important, but also the opportunity for visitors to take a piece of pumpkin meat home with them. However, the majority of pumpkins are fed to animals.

Successful pumpkin growers in the spotlight

In the meantime, the 16th Open Rhineland-Palatinate Pumpkin Weighing Championships also took place in Kaiserslautern. There Matthias Würsching prevailed with his pumpkin weighing 834.9 kilograms and set a new record. Second place went to Elmar Hubertus from Marpingen with a pumpkin that weighed almost 797 kilograms. Medhi Daho from France took third place with his pumpkin, which weighed almost 754 kilograms. In addition, Würsching's pumpkin was voted the most beautiful by the audience, as Südwestdeutsche Rundfunk published a report.

It is interesting that Owen Olsen from Southwest Palatinate achieved success in the “Field Pumpkins” category and with the snake pumpkins, but he did not manage to get into the top three places. However, he was able to win first prize with an impressive watermelon that weighed 19.60 kilograms. However, he also grows large jalapeños, which are popular culinary companions in the region.

The pumpkin – part of the culture and community

These competitions are not only a fun way to get together, but also strengthen a sense of community. In a climatic interplay that reflects the diversity of Germany's landscape, there are numerous breeders from different regions who take part in these championships. A total of 70 breeders took part with 74 exhibits, not only from Brandenburg, but also from Berlin, Saxony and Bavaria.

For breeders it is not just a hobby, but often a serious business. The German pumpkin weighing record is currently 1,052 kilos and is held by a breeder from Bavaria. The Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin, which is 1,247 kilograms, also belongs to a breeder from the USA.

With this dynamic pumpkin scene, autumn in Germany not only gives you a taste for autumnal delicacies, but also brings people together who share their passion for the giants of the garden - all in the spirit of community and competition.