Oktoberfest

German. Even the largest folk festival in the world started off much smaller: 40,000 spectators attended the horse race in October 1810, which took place on a meadow outside Munich to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I to Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen, establishing a tradition that would eventually break all records. Today, around 6 million visitors from all over the world flock annually to the Theresienwiese, named after the royal bride. On average, 60,000 hectoliters of beer are served and about 500,000 roasted chickens are prepared during each festival. With 200 amusement stalls and its impressive beer tents, the Munich Oktoberfest is not only a significant economic factor for the city but also a world attraction that, while often imitated, remains unmatched. Rainer Viertlböck, a highly awarded photographer and author of our Munich book released last year, documented the Oktoberfests of 2014 and 2015 over their entire duration of 16 days and nights from spectacular viewpoints and often under unusual aspects. The images are accompanied by a text from American writer Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938), the author of the bestselling novel Look Homeward, Angel.