Eckfeld, an idyllically situated local community in the southern Volcanic Eifel, held its 1050th-anniversary celebration on July 1 and 2, 2023. Unfortunately, the weather on Saturday did not show its best side.
However, that was already forgotten during our visit on Sunday. A total of 4000 visitors appreciated the festival.
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In 973, the estate ‘Ekkiveit”, the origin of Eckfeld, was mentioned for the first time in a deed of donation from Emperor Otto I to the monastery of Echternach. 23 years later, in 996, only Ostarrichi, today’s Austria, was mentioned in a deed of gift from Emperor Otto III. Since then, Eckfeld has experienced some distinctive stations politically. In 1794, it was assigned to France, at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the Kingdom of Prussia, and in 1946 to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.
But the history of Eckfeld goes back further. Among others, the “Eckfeld prehistoric horse” and the “oldest honey bee in the world” were found in the 44.3-million-year-old Eckfelder Trockenmaar near the present-day village. They can be seen today in the Maar Museum in Manderscheid.
Although the local community of Eckfeld has “only” about 400 inhabitants, there is a close feeling of togetherness, which on the one hand side is open to innovations, but on the other hand, also appreciates old skills and traditions. Eckfeld has had its own 100 MBit fiber optic network as a matter of course for over 10 years. A biogas plant, which could also be visited on the occasion of the celebration, provides green energy.
Recently, there is also a free charging station for e-bikes at the bakehouse in the center of the village, where visitors can easily explore the surroundings by bike. Cafés and vacation apartments in Eckfeld and the surrounding area make for a relaxing vacation stay.
The 1050th-anniversary celebration offered an ideal opportunity to observe old crafts, some are still practiced today, up close. These were accompanied by a musical and artistic entertainment program, arranged by the MV Eckfeld e.V. Musikverein Laufelden-Plein, the MV Manderscheid e.V. and the Karibu Choir, which also gave the festival an international touch with its music from Tanzania. Artists were Hamid Mostofi, the Fidelen Eifelländer, Gerd Blume and Christoph Engels. DJ was Don Fabio. Of course, there was also a wide range of food and drinks.
Also, the delicious home-baked bread may not be missing at such a celebration. Bread baking has a long tradition in Eckfeld. This has been continued for years in the bakehouse. In the meantime, an antique kneading machine takes over the kneading of the sourdough.
Especially interesting for children was to see the shoeing of horses and a simulated school lesson from the old days, whereby the punishments imposed at that time were shown only symbolically.
The exhibition of historical photos and documents in the community hall met with great interest.
Unfortunately, not all relevant actions could be shown in the video, but it should at least give an impression of a successful festival.
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