Head over to Munich and celebrate the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest.
Two centuries ago, in 1810, the first festival kicked off on Munich's Theresienwiese as a celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The street -Theresienwieses- is now named after the princess. The newlyweds invited all the citizens of Munich to come to the party, which soon became an annual event.
Currently, Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world, with more than six million visitors, Susanne Muhlbauer, a press officer for the Munich Tourist Office, told CNN.
"Part of the fun nowadays is that you actually do dress up in traditional costume," she told the news source."When I was a teenager you just wore jeans. It's only over the last 20 years that young people won't go to the festival without wearing traditional lederhosen."
Munich and the Bavarian state take great pride in their beer, and they frequently cite the Bavarian Purity Requirements which dates back to 1516, which only allows water, hops and barley to be used in the brewing process. Yeast was not mentioned because it was not used until the early 19th century.
While this year marks the 200th anniversary of the festival, it it only the 177th time it has taken place. It wasn't held during World War I or II, and was suspended during a cholera outbreak, Mulhbauer told the news source.
The best way to experience Oktoberfest is with a small group of adventure travelers.
Celebrate 200 years of Oktoberfest
Posted on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd, 2010
