A Knight and Horse at Gelterswoog (Katie Wells)
Instead of roasting a ham all day, frosting carrot cake cupcakes and doing a traditional egg hunt, my spouse and I hopped in the car Easter Sunday and drove a short twenty minutes to the Spring Mittelaltermarkt (Medieval Market) at Gelterswoog, a beautiful lake in Kaiserslautern. The forecast predicted rain; however, as we followed the sound of lutes and the smell of something deliciously smoky-sweet, the sun decided to peek out and stay for a few hours.
Medieval market fair grounds (Katie Wells)
My spouse and I were surprised at how good the music performance was. I found myself wanting to hook arms with my husband, kick up our feet and dance in circles. I settled for living vicariously through the two kids dressed in beautiful princess dresses giggling and doing exactly that, then collapsing into the grass while we waited in line for a chalice of mead.
The stage at the Gelterswoog Medieval Market (Katie Wells )
We sipped our honey infused drinks and tapped our feet to the bagpipes, drums and occasional chanting; a large German Shepard chimed in with a deep “woof” every few measures keeping with the beat.
To our delight, dogs were everywhere. Big, beautiful breeds that may or may not have been wolf mixes including: rhodesian ridgebacks, huskies, shepherds and a very cute Frenchie in costume wielding a dagger. As we did a lap around the market, we came across some amazing Viking costumes and I snuck over to the horses on standby for jousting to give them a few pets.
Two French bulldogs great each other at the medieval fest (Katie Wells )
We paused at the foraging tent where a blacksmith was shaping iron rods into points with a hammer over hot coals. As we continued leisurely on, we watched guests try their hands at axe throwing and even considered getting a Norse-style tattoo from one of the tents. Alas, our impromptu outing resulted in us not having enough cash. (Always bring plenty of euros to medieval markets, there were no credit card readers or ATMs in the Middle Ages).
The blacksmith’s tent at the Gelterswoog Medieval Festival. (Katie Wells )
With our remaining coin, we split a spiralkartofflen, fried spiral potatoes on a stick — we opted for ours to be slathered in a delicious garlic sauce. Then, we traded in our mead for a chocolate milkshake. We sat at one of many picnic tables and soaked in some more sun beams as we tuned back into the music and people-watched.
Spiralkartofflen (spiral potatoes on a stick) (Katie Wells )
A whimsical Gandalf-esque grey wizard with a gnarly wooden staff and a beautiful fairy queen appeared, towering over the food stalls and smiling brightly as they waved to the crowd.
A wizard and fairy on stilts (Katie Wells )
Following our snack break, we meandered back to the lake where it looked like jousting was about to begin. We rested our backs against a thick tree trunk and watched the knights and horses circle around. After nearly taking a nap and realizing the jousting wouldn’t begin for another hour, we lazily made our way back to the car to head home.
Gelterswoog (Katie Wells)
The medieval market was a perfect impromptu date and stress-free way to spend Easter Sunday, although I wouldn’t have complained if there had been a dragon egg hunt.
Medieval markets are abundant in Germany and the season typically lasts from spring to fall, although, for those who can’t get enough, there are quite a few medieval-themed Christmas markets in November and December as well. My favorite is in Sankt Wendel, which is a combination of a classic Christmas market plus a medieval section complete with warm open fires and heißer met (hot mead) instead of glühwein.
For those in the KMC area, Gelterswoog hosts two medieval markets every year. The next one is in October and the tentative dates are from October 3–5, 2025. Parking by the lake is free and entrance fees are €11 for adults or €7 for kids and those dressed in medieval costumes. For more information, visit gelterswoog-kl.de.
