Bison Festival in Wermsdorf: Thousands celebrate at 29 degrees and Western flair!

Bison Festival in Wermsdorf: Thousands celebrate at 29 degrees and Western flair!

Last weekend the annual bison festival took place in Wermsdorf - at a pleasantly warm 29 degrees in the shade. A visitor magnet when you consider the several thousand guests who made their way to experience the largest bison herd in Saxony up close. The event not only offered a colorful supporting program, but also the opportunity for a short journey through time into the world of trappers and closeness to nature.

Among the celebrants were Pauline Klee and her three friends, who appeared in appropriate western clothing. Simone Kubovy runs a trapper's camp on site, where visitors could, among other things, identify different skins. Sabine Kubovy also carried out educational work by selling historically important animal furs. One of the highlights was gold panning - whether for children or adults, patience was required to find the little treasures.

Culinary delights and entertainment

The culinary delights were also not neglected. Tasty bison bratwurst was offered at a grill stand, which was very popular not only with meat lovers. In order to fully enjoy the bison festival, guests had the opportunity to exchange their euros for bison thalers to pay at the various stands. More than 40 vendors and direct marketers were present at the farmers market, specializing in bison meat, touting their wares while the Roadbrothers' festive country music set the mood.

Another highlight was the opportunity to observe the bison herd up close during Kremser tours. This consists of around 65 animals, including nine young animals, which live on pasture all year round under the care of bison breeder Johannes Boos and are fed exclusively with hay. The largest animal in the herd, the breeding bull Hakan, weighs just under a ton. Bison meat is considered a sought-after specialty, and so attempts are made to use as many parts of the animal as possible - be it skins for drums or sinews for making bows.

A look at the bison herd

The visitors not only had fun, but also learned a lot about the impressive bison herd. Bison are the largest land mammals in Europe and North America, recognizable by their characteristic shoulder hump and shaggy fur. These animals live in complex social structures and show hierarchy struggles during the mating season. The raising of the young animals was also very popular, as females give birth to a calf after a gestation period of around nine months, which is later suckled between six months and a year.

The event was not only a celebration of bison culture, but also a valuable opportunity for all participants to learn first-hand the importance of this majestic animal and its products. If you would like to find out more about the Bison Festival, you can find further information on the website bison-wermsdorf.de as well as interesting details about keeping and breeding bison agricultural-wildkeeping.de.