Kaarz Castle - A joyfull apple festival in the castle park

Thursday, 17 October 2024 09:33
Written by Portal Editor

During a short tour through the centre of Sternberg (the report will follow), we came across a small poster at the tourist information office for the upcoming apple festival in Kaarz Castle Park.

Of course, our interest was piqued, especially since we had no destination planned for that Sunday. Having been interested in the old fruit varieties, especially apple varieties, for many years, it was clear that we wanted to attend this event. We were immediately reminded of Esin Isin and her mother, food historian Priscilla Mary Isin, who had started a working group on the topic of "fruit heritage" as part of a project to document and collect the variety of varieties in the Mugla region / Turkey and thus preserve or revive old varieties. I wonder what happened to the project?

An orchard meadow was once standard in every town

There is no question that many people have now realized how regrettable the loss of species and varieties really is, whether they are animals or plants. In the past, the so-called orchard meadows with their numerous apple, pear and plum trees were always common and widespread, and could provide fresh fruit from early summer to late autumn due to the different ripening times of the varieties.

How fascinated we were on our first trips along the roads in the Burgenland district, where fruit trees of the category’s apple, pear and plum line the roadside, unfortunately today they are far too little cared for and used. But the stock is still there.

Then came the "apple industry" with its huge plantations and simultaneous restrictions on varieties, which meant the loss of many other varieties. Only slowly is the return to the diversity that once existed, and old varieties are coming back onto the scene, if they still exist. In today's supermarkets you can find 5 - 10 varieties of apples, but there are thousands of them with such different qualities. So back to the orchard? Back to the variety of varieties? We were excited to see what the apple festival at Kaarz Castle would have to offer on the topic.

The castle park and its orchard

The route to Kaarz Castle led again through the town of Sternberg to Weitendorf, where the turn-off to the left leads to the castle. Be careful: there is a rather bumpy cobblestone road to the castle, which should be driven slowly. Shortly before the castle park, a meadow had been converted into a car park, then we went through a gate into the castle park, which had been laid out as an English landscape park by Carl Ansorge from 1873 onwards. The complex is planted with rare trees and plants, including several ancient oaks, Douglas firs and cypresses, as well as robinias. Also hidden in the park are the neo-Gothic chapel of the von Bülow family and the neo-Renaissance mausoleum of the Hüniken family. In the upper part of the castle park, to the left of the road to Weitendorf, there was a small tea pavilion built in the Far Eastern architectural style until 1946. The entire castle park was once surrounded by a metal fence. The park area is permanently open to visitors. The castle and the castle park are in the immediate vicinity of the extensive Kaarzer Holz forest area.

Separated area of the windfall meadow for the apple festival

Even from a distance, the hustle and bustle on the apple farm next to the castle park can be seen, an area that is loosely demarcated with a barrier tape, because an entrance fee is charged for the apple festival.

We see numerous tents set up as sales pavilions, a few burning fire pits and grill stations, in short, a really diverse range of things to look at and consume. Of course, there is also live music.

The apple festival is one of our favourite events in our castle park, says the organizer, we are ready for our delicious tradition again: We are preparing a fruity, cheerful festival for the crisp fruit from our historic apple orchard - with live music and a country market, with Kaarzer delicacies and colourful games and fun.

First pavilion for determining the apple variety

It smells delicious everywhere and so it's no wonder that the "hunger" is constantly increasing, the grilled food, the potato pancakes, the homemade waffles, and even the homemade apple juice are so delicious. Speaking of which, we had come for the apples, so first of all it was our duty.

We found what we were looking for in one of the first pavilions, because there were numerous apple varieties on display, all with their name, or rather their name, which can vary somewhat depending on the region, as an experienced apple expert on site told us.

So we took our first photos of varieties that were mostly unknown to us and that grow here in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. We noticed that many guests had brought apples with them so that they could be identified by experts. In addition to the first smell test, the apples that had been brought along were then cut open and tasted, and shape and color were also indicators for determining the variety.

So we stayed for a while, because the apples we had brought from the region were sometimes difficult to classify, which was also a difficult undertaking for the "variety determiner", because the natural shape and colour of the apples are not always so clear. Sometimes the leaf or the trunk itself also helps. We would have loved to try one or two of the apples ourselves, but unfortunately this was not possible due to the large number of visitors. However, there was an invitation to the "apple determiner's" farm, but we didn't have time to go. It was also interesting that various apple plants were being offered for sale right next door. We didn't buy this either, because not every variety is beneficial for every location, even if you like the taste.

The Internet can of course also help, because there are numerous portals for identifying fruit. In the following, we present a portal for the orchards in Bavaria, which describes over 300 apple varieties in its database alone. As I said: as an example.

Apple varieties - Database of orchards in Bavaria

In this database you will find a list of more than 300 apple varieties to date and a simple "click" on the list entry takes you to the respective detailed page. The descriptions contain information on origin, fruit and tree properties, yield behaviour or cultivation value. Additional elements include information on location requirements, tree maturity, sensitivity to certain diseases and suitability for various types of use such as table fruit, baking or cider production. The previous variety descriptions come from the book "Old and new apple varieties" by Franz Mühl, which is also highly valued in expert circles.

The majority of the descriptions include older varieties whose typical use is in orchard cultivation. However, numerous newer varieties are also listed. Some varieties are more suitable for small tree shapes in the home garden than for tall trees in orchards. The suitability can be determined from the descriptions.

From each individual detailed page, you can create a QR code by clicking on a button at the end of the page and then save it. This QR code can be used in various ways. For example, there is only limited space available on variety signs at fruit exhibitions and only a few bullet points can be included. The same applies to signs for fruit trees in club and district educational gardens, on fruit educational trails, etc. By using the QR code, which refers to the respective detail page on the orchard website, the smartphone user can obtain more detailed information.

In the future, further variety descriptions can be added to the database, especially more regional and local varieties. If a club, association or other orchard stakeholders would like to have varieties included, additional detail pages can be created without any problem if the required data is provided. To do this, please contact the Bavarian State Association for Horticulture and Landscape Care e. V. as the operator of the website.

We will stay on the ball and will contact a local apple farm. But first, let's look at one of the delicacies on offer at the 2024 Apple Festival.

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