Festival in Friesach

Rescuers celebrate at the town moat

Fluctuating water levels caused the walls to crumble, but they could be restored.(Bild: Christina Natascha Kogler)

The bulwark has surrounded the castle town of Friesach for centuries, has been undergoing restoration for decades and will be celebrated in style on Saturday, June 22.

"The Sautrogrennen is not a serious competition. Crazy people are excluded from the competition and taken to the baker's dungeon for the duration of the festival." This warning should be taken seriously, as being dunked in the baker's dip, in the iron basket, in the water of the city moat was an embarrassing honorary punishment centuries ago. Which brings us back to the Middle Ages, which in retrospect is simply wonderful as a game and a celebration!

Balance and no fear of water are important in the Sautrog.(Bild: Peter Dürnwirth)

The town center of Friesach, the oldest town in Carinthia, has been surrounded by a moat for centuries: This new town wall was built in the middle of the 13th century. 35,000 cubic meters of stone were used. People spent 15 years building it - with the simplest of tools. "And it's been 37 years since we've been shitting ourselves renovating it," Max Koschitz said at the very first Stadtgrabenfest last year. The former mayor and current chairman of the "Rettet den Stadtgraben" association and his team are working tirelessly to raise the 1.4 million euros. Under the motto "A stone that bears your name", pop star Nik P., a famous son of the castle town, is supporting the building block campaign, which only runs until June 22.

Come and join us in Friesach! We celebrate the fundraising campaigns at the Stadtgraben. And at the Spectaculum on July 27 and 28, 800 years of the Friesach tournament will be celebrated.

Max Koschitz, Obmann des Vereines „Rettet den Stadtgraben“

Help also comes from entrepreneurs, for example from pubs such as Braukeller Hirt, Felsenkeller, Villa Bucher, Goldener Anker and Specklade, who each donate two euros from their Stadtgraben dishes. Stone wine, stone gin, Craighers Stadtgrabenschokolade, the Seelenfreund-Edition Stadtgraben by master watchmaker Stefan Kogler and many other campaigns support the renovation. 100,000 euros can be presented to the municipality at this second Stadtgrabenfest! This will be celebrated: School teams also take part in the Sautrog race. The Micheldorf Tractor Trio performs.

Christina Natascha Kogler