Discover Germany
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Culture Feature
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Immerse Yourself in Medieval Times
Jousting at the Kaltenberg Knights’ Tournament at Kaltenberg, close to Munich, Germany.
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN MEDIEVAL TIMES Wood shatters as the galloping knight’s lance clatters against the U-shaped shield protecting the left side of his mounted opponent’s armoured torso. Onlookers emit gasps and cheers. Almost as an afterthought, appreciative applause ripples through the crowd that’s sitting in the banked arena within the grounds of Kaltenberg Castle. TEXT & PHOTOS: STUART FORSTER
The loser of the joust momentarily jolts back in his saddle, somehow manages to absorb the impact and recover, then continues riding alongside the barrier that separates opponents. The victor raises his lance, pumps the blunted weapon in the air, and theatrically milks the crowd’s adoration. His face is hidden behind a metal helmet topped by a plume of black and yellow feathers, but it’s easy to imagine the elation. The skill level of the costume-wearing stunt riders who participate in the Kaltenberg Knights’ Tournament is truly impressive. 46 |
Issue 95 |
July 2022
We’ve already witnessed a rider dressed in a black costume, much like those worn longago by members of the secretive Order of Assassins, stand on the saddle of a galloping horse. With his mount’s hooves kicking up chunks of the arena’s all-weather surface, he maintained poise, balance and control of the horse. Seemingly impossibly, he leant sideways, parallel to the ground. Still at full tilt, he sat down, twisted around and rode facing backwards. The crowd roared approvingly. The 2022 edition of the tournament, known locally as the Kaltenberg Ritterturnier, takes
place over the last three weekends of July. Like so many of the world’s normally annual mass participation events, the Kaltenberg Knights’ Tournament was last held in 2019. That year was the 40th anniversary of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria first inviting medieval reenactors and members of the public onto his castle’s grounds. In the four intervening decades, the scale and sheer level of spectacle of the tournament grew prodigiously. Prince Luitpold is a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Between 1180 and 1918 his forebears ruled over Bavaria. By the time his ancestor Ludwig IV was elected as the Holy Roman Emperor, in 1328, tournaments had become a way for knights to demonstrate their martial prowess and win honour in a controlled environment. We can only speculate what the tournament organisers of the Middle Ages might make of Kaltenberg’s
