Munich Auer Dult

MUNICH AUER DULT:Treasure hunters delight in Munich’s Auer Dult.
Stall vendors, rides and tents turn an otherwise quite church district into a bustling island of commerce and conviviality.

There are three Dults a year, in spring, summer and autumn, and each runs for nine days. I love the Dult. It doesn’t get many international tourists so it feels authentic and traditional.

And what a tradition it has, the Dult is Munich’s oldest fair dating back to 1310. Each one attracts about 100,000 visitors, so things can get tight.
Try to go in the morning or during the working week if you want to have room to move, on sunny weekend days you may find yourself doing more crowd battling than treasure hunting.

auer-dult-munichGREAT FOR BROWSERS: The Munich Auer Dult has more than 300 stands.

Shops, rides and dinner tables

You can haggle with the stall vendors but watch out, they usually drive a hard bargain and you should count yourself lucky if you manage to get a euro or two off something that should cost €10.

There are about 300 stalls selling all sorts of stuff so you can browse all day if you like. The Dult claims to have Europe’s largest crockery market but the range doesn’t stop with pots and porcelain.

Musical instruments, hand-made jewellery second-hand Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses, wooden toys, furniture and books are some of the selection.

munich-auer-dult-ride
RIDING HIGH: A kinds' carousel at the
Munich Auer Dult.

It’s also a very kid-friendly festival with carousels, a mini Ferris wheel, shooting galleries, dodgem cars and horse rides.
A kiddie favourite is a long-running children's puppet show called Kasperl von der Au.

This being Bavaria, there’s also a beer tent serving a steady range of Munich brews
and regional dishes.

What's with the funny sounding name?

The Auer part comes from the district of Au where the fest is held.
Au’s original name was Awe zu Gysingen meaning "Meadow on Water", thanks to its leafy location on the Isar River.

The Old German word Dult means "religious observance" and that’s how this festival began – a sprinkling of stands out the front of a church amidst a religious celebration honouring a local saint.

As the centuries rolled away the religious aspect toned down and today it’s a purely "popular" people’s fair. The saints are still there in spirit, however, as the Dult takes place around the Mariahilfskirche (Mariahilfs Church).

The details of the Munich Auer Dult

When: The Dult comes round three times a year and each one lasts nine days. The Maidult starts on the last Saturday in April.
The Jakobidult runs from late July into early August, and the Kirchweihdult is on in mid to late October.
Location and directions: The market takes place on Mariahilfsplatz, an open area around the Mariahilfskirche, a church you can see from some way off.
It’s on the east of the Rive Isar and you can get there by taking any S-Bahn to Rosenheimer-Platz.
From the subway it’s a 5min walk down Franziskaner Strasse and then right onto Gebsattel Strasse. You can also take tram No. 27.
See here for a map on the official website.
Website: www.auerdult.de
Open: Market stands are open from 9am to 8pm and rides run from 10.30am to 8pm.
Contact: The Munich Tourist Office organises the Dult. Its contact person is Janine Brandt who you can reach by phone 089 23 33 02 94 or email janine.brandt@muenchen.de

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