camp life

The answers of our survey showed us that many of you would like to know more about our daily camp routine. As a medieval club you are asked the utopiest things of visitors. I would like to pick up on these ominous questions as an introduction and answer them:

Do you sleep in the tents?

• Yes, we really sleep in the tents, even if it rains, storms and thunders. Usually, every person / couple or family has their own tent. The garments, armors, weapons, beds, skins and everything else has to fit in.

Is the fire real at your fire show?

• Yes it is real, really hot and you could theoretically burn it. But we usually do not.

Can you really eat that?

• Everything that looks like food in the camp is also there to be eaten. We are often asked by tourists if they can have some. Sorry guys, but we cook for our own care and should not hand out anything for reasons of hygiene, not even for a fee. Please look for the next nice market stand.

The fights are only rehearsed, aren’t they?

• Our swordfights are real! Our armors and weapons are real and our knights are real. Of course, fighting techniques are trained e.g. to Liechtenauer, but the combat sequence is by no means rehearsed!

Here is an insight into our daily camp life:

The preparations

for a medieval market always start on Tuesdays. We meet every Tuesday in our clubhouse in Tambach-Dietharz and then before a market weekend, we pack our big trailer. Everybody has to get involved, no matter if tent bags and poles, wooden chests or firewood. Everything has to be in the trailer somehow, so we usually send in the person with the best Tetris skills. When the trailer is packed, the meal plan is created. Especially Anke and Dominik are the most important people for our culinary supply. The two go shopping during the week after work for the entire group.

On Fridays

the first members usually make their way to the Medieval festival around noon or in the early afternoon. During the day, depending on working hours, the remaining members arrive. Arrived on the medieval mark, then the trailer must be cleared again. After that the individual tents are set up. This is a maximum of 11 private tents and of course the canopy, the kitchen tent and the fireplace.

When the tents are ready, all the other things need to find place inside. In the evening, after the work is done, we sit together under our canopy and relax.

The market Saturdays

start with a shared breakfast. Subsequently, the market opening is usually carried out by our herald Matthias. At the start of the market, it must be ensured that our camp and ourselves look authentic and, for example, that there are no more PET bottles lying around. After the market opening, the first fight usually takes place. All our knights fight for our Codex Tambach. In addition, Matthias, Tim, Marco and Gahlo also operate full contact. Often we are also asked how heavy an armor is. So a full contact-capable armor usually weighs 30-50 kilograms. So you can imagine that when you’re sweating in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt while you’re watching, the knight cooks in front of you in combat.

During midday we have delicious lunch together. Anke, Dominik and Caro are responsible for the cooking, because they cook like no one else does! The washing-up will of course be done together afterwards. In the afternoon there usually are two more fights and in the evening we have delicious dinner.

This is usually followed by our fire show. For this we have to set up our system, check the technology and build, sort and soak the fire show equipment. When it is our turn, we first have to make space, which is not always easy, because some visitors do not want to understand that the distance is for their own protection. When the fire show starts, we’ll impress the audience with burning sticks, swordfight with burning swords and bucklers, sleek fire fans, spectacular poiformations, as well as great firefighters spitting and swallowing the fire. When the fire show is over, everything has to be cleared and stowed away. After that we will have time to chill.

On Sundays

the market again is opened and the day runs in a similar way to Saturday. The market usually ends around 6pm. After the end of the market vehicles and the trailer must be driven to the camp and then everything must be dismantled and stowed away in the trailer and the cars. We are usually ready at around 8 pm and then we drive back home. On the following Tuesday, the trailer is unpacked again.