The Central Agricultural Fair

art

Until far beyond WWII, most of Bavaria was dominated by agriculture. The wealth of the country and, therefore, the finances of the state depended to a great deal on the income generated by the cultivation of the land, by husbandry and forestry. It may thus well be understood that the state of Bavaria showed a great interest in this part of its economy during nearly all of its existence.

As early as in the eighteenth century, numerous scholars and journalists engaged with the question of how single aspects of agriculture might be improved. Numerous societies were created, which published treatises about new techniques and methodologies and founded prizes for successful improvements. Nonetheless, it would take until the early nineteenth century that the kingdom of Bavaria started to organise agricultural improvements more strictly. Surely, thereby, the ailing finances of the state played a weighty part. On 9 October 1810 – only three days before the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig - King Maximilian I Joseph (1756-1825) confirmed the statutes of the Landwirtschaftliche Verein in Bayern (Agricultural Association in Bavaria), which consisted mostly of the male members of the aristocracy and of ennobled members of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Bavarian Academy of Sciences).

When in 1811 the National Guard, third class could not afford to pay by themselves for the cost of a repetition of the horse race of 1810, the operators came to an agreement that in future the Landwirtschaftliche Verein (Agricultural Association) would take on the organisation and realisation of the event. Obviously, the agreement included the diversification of a programme so far limited to races by including different functions. Up to 1818, the association, therefore, almost single-handedly organised the Oktoberfests. The name of the (from 1812 central-) Agricultural Fair became synonymous for the Oktoberfest itself. Apart from the horse races, cattle markets and presentations of appliances, products and livestock took place. In addition, during the fair the association awarded prizes for excellent achievements in breeding. The Agricultural Fair of 1811 was the first one to be held in the German-speaking parts.

The Celebration of the Central-Landwirthschafts--(Central-Agricultural) or Oktoberfest (Programmes, Supplements and Reports)

Even though since the 1819 Oktoberfest, the organisation of the entire festival lay in the hands of the magistrate of the city of Munich, the Landwirtschaftliche Verein (Agricultural Association) only looked after the realisation of exhibitions and awards at the Zentrale Landwirtschaftsfest (Central Agricultural Fair) happening in parallel. Up to c.1845, the association always produced two publications on the Oktoberfest. One programme was printed in advance and until at least 1836 included in attachments the tenders for the horse races and the shooting contests. One final report was published after the festival. The latter contained apart from general observations (weather conditions, atmosphere or visits by the ruling family) always a detailed list of all the prizes awarded. In the inventory of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) all of these final reports with only few gaps and a great many programme tenders have been preserved for the years between 1820 and 1845. These anonymously published writings present an important source on the complete Oktoberfest for this period.

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1820

1820
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1821

1821
  • München

Anonym
Die Feier des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktober-Festes im Jahre 1822.
[Abschlußbericht und Programm mit vier Beilagen: Ausschreibungen von Pferderennen und Schießwettbewerben]


[München], 1822

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1823

1823
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1824

1824
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1825

1825
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1826

1826
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1827

1827
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1828

1828
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1829

1829
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1830

1830
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1831

1831
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1832

1832
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1834

1834
  • München

In 1835, King Ludwig I (1786-1868) celebrated his silver wedding anniversary and the Landwirtschaftliche Verein would observe the 25th jubilee of its foundation. The final report appearing at the time contains among other things also a short description of the great jubilee procession; it excels by means of its particularly elaborate binding in comparison to the other works of this holding.

Sources of the Jubilee 1835

From 1836 the paper format of the reports changes, since they now obviously appeared as a supplement to the Central-Blatt (central publication) of the Landwirtschaftliche Verein, ([examples of which] were preserved at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) in the present exemplars but also separately). For the 35th jubilee a more detailed festschrift of the association appeared, which was embellished with a rich copper-plate print on its title page, which depicts the profile of King Ludwig I surrounded by the coats of arms of the capital cities of the single government districts of the kingdom. For the period after 1845 in the holdings of the Staatsbibliothek no separate programmes of reports of the Landwirtschaftliche Verein have been preserved on the Oktoberfest, they were now directly printed in the publications of the Association.

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1836

1836
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1838

1838
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1839

1839
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1840

1840
  • München

Feyer des Central-Landwirthschafts- oder Oktoberfestes im Jahre .... 1845

1845
  • München

award-winner lists

Between 1827 and 1905, the award winners in the individual prize-winning categories were published promptly, probably already during the respective Oktoberfest, in lists that were lithographed at least until 1852 and later printed. The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek still keeps 19 of the 88 directories published during this period in its holdings. The available digital copies are examples of the two forms of publication.

Preis-Vertheilung bei dem Central-Landwirthschaftsfeste in München : Verzeichnis der vom Bayerischen Landwirtschaftsrat ... bei der Feier des Zentral-Landwirtschaftsfestes ... zuerkannten Preise. 1. 1827, 7. Okt.

1827
  • München

Preis-Vertheilung bei dem Central-Landwirthschaftsfeste in München : Verzeichnis der vom Bayerischen Landwirtschaftsrat ... bei der Feier des Zentral-Landwirtschaftsfestes ... zuerkannten Preise. 58. 1883, 7. Okt.

1883
  • München

Exhibition Catalogue

Apart from presentations, contests and special displays, the Landwirtschaftliche Verein in Bayern (Agricultural Association in Bavaria) every year held an exhibition of agricultural appliances and of animals. These shows did not always take place on Theresienwiese (Theresia Meadow) but were also presented at times at the Königliche Odeon (Royal Odeon), between 1855 and 1891 at the Münchener Glaspalast (Munich Glass Palace) on the Alte Botanische Garten (Old Botanical Garden) or since 1909 in the exhibition area on Schwanthalerhöhe (Schwanthal Heights).

The present catalogue of the 1906 fair, which that year was held directly on Theresienwiese, also contains exhibits from a special show on dairy products.

Verzeichnis der zur landwirtschaftlichen Ausstellung auf der Theresienwiese angemeldeten Maschinen, Geräte und Tiere : Ausstellung von Molkerei-Erzeugnissen (Butter und Käse)

1906
  • München