Munich

Munich, Mariahilfplatz. Today countless stands offering visitors the most diverse items for everyday use at set up at the feet of the Mariahilf pilgrimage church, which, not far from the city centre, towers over this usually quiet square. So, this is the Auer Dult. This event, a genuine folk festival, takes place three times a year, giving you the chance to make up for any Dults you might have missed, unlike the Oktoberfest, which you have to wait twelve whole months for if you weren’t lucky enough to be on the so-called Wiesn in Munich in September.

The Auer Dult reminds me of the markets that take place regularly in Abidjan. Lots of wooden booths and stands (which are set up only for the duration of the fair) and, especially, lots of goods being offered to the visitors. Yet the Auer Dult differs greatly from the markets in Abidjan, since it is based on an old tradition that began 200 years ago. This tradition carries on the Bavarian culture, while the flea markets in Abidjan were established purely for economic reasons. They offer partakers the opportunity to do good business by selling their wares. In most cases these are new overpriced goods.

On the markets in Abidjan they care little for history or tradition. What counts is to take back in the money invested to buy the stand or even make a profit. So, the main goal is to sell, to sell and to sell some more.

Another difference is that no medicines are sold at the Auer Dult. The markets in Abidjan are populated primarily by “traditional” doctors who pile their stands with all sorts of concoctions or tonics made of plants or tree bark that promise the customers better health. Armed with flyers or handbills that plug the benefits of their products, they “sell” health with eloquence and sometimes with far too much self-confidence.

Some even claim that they can heal any disease. True super-doctors, who one luckily won’t find at the Auer Dult where Bavarian culture is on the agenda. That’s what makes this fair – and folk festival – so charming.

Even during the third and last Dult of 2008, for one week the Mariahilfplatz is transformed into a dazzling and colourful market of antique, allegedly antique and obviously everything but antique objects. Here you’ll find a little of everything: odds and ends, pottery, textiles, leather, glassware, typically Bavarian apparel and, in particular, crockery: porcelain plates, bowls and teapots with prettily painted patterns like those that Barbara Bartnick is selling underneath a large tent depicting pikes, wild boars in the snow and running hares. “I buy the china and then paint it myself,” she explains. She has been doing this for 29 years after learning all the sales tricks from her mother. Barbara Bartnick says she often travels through all of Germany to find suitable porcelain. Then, she travels three times every year to the Auer Dult.

She offers goods for every budget. For two or three euro, a visitor can purchase a basin, a plate or bowl. Some items, for example a handsome tray, cost a bit more. “This year we’ve been selling a little more than at the last Auer Dults,” Mrs. Bartnick happily reports, although she admits that the buyers aren’t exactly swarming her stand. “The people don’t have money. Some even claim that they don’t need anything more in their kitchens,” she adds with a spark of doubt.

There is also fine food at the Auer Dult: fried chicken, smoked mackerel and, of course, Bavarian specialities like white sausages that one eats with sweet mustard and pretzels. Naturally, we mustn’t forget the good local beer. But, at the Auer Dult there is not only shopping, good food and plenty of beer. There’s also wonderful entertainment, which appeals especially to the children. In the carnie section there are bumper cars, a 22-year-old carousel (with horses for the little ones) and even an 83-year-old riding arena.

One hundred very old costumes

One of the great attractions at the Auer Dult is indubitably the photography studio of Stephan Bastian, a keeper of historic garb. Everything here reminds you of the 18th century: the camera, the backdrops and, of course, the costumes. For the duration of a photo shoot, this photographer sends the visitor back three centuries, in the attire of a cowboy, a pirate, a steam engine driver or an aristocrat.

It’s as if he can turn back time – a game that the visitors find very amusing. “85 percent of the people that have a photo made by me have a lot of fun in the process,” admits Stephan Bastian. He claims that he owns at least 100 old costumes, including typically Bavarian apparel from that time. On average he makes about 60 photos per day. Among the photos that he proudly displays in front of the studio we recognize well-known Munich personalities, for example the mayor Christian Ude.

The Auer Dult is a market that reunites the people of Munich with their traditions and their culture.