It’s supposed to be boundlessly crazy when the carnival rabble and groups from Germany and Switzerland meet in Freiburg in mid-February. They all come from Zhringen towns.
There are twelve towns that the Dukes of Zhringen founded during their reign both in the German south-west and in Switzerland. In Germany these are: Freiburg im Breisgau, Neuenburg, St. Peter im Schwarzwald, Brunlingen, Villingen and Offenburg. In Switzerland these include: Bern, Burgdorf, Freiburg im chtland, Murten, Rheinfelden (AG) and Thun. Every three years, during the carnival season, the fools’ clubs meet for a weekend together. This year the meeting will take place on Saturday/Sunday 11./12. February in Freiburg im Breisgau. In addition to a torchlight procession on Saturday evening (from 7.30 p.m., before that from 4 p.m. fool’s party on Mnsterplatz), the guilds and Guggenmusik bands will show their customs on Sunday from 2 p.m. with a parade through the city centre. The Friborg and Neuchâtel guilds are strongly represented, but also groups from Thun and Villingen (here, however, only newer groups). A total of 58 groups will romp through Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse with music, cracking whips, the sound of cowbells and the noise of ruffles.
