The Hessentag finished a month ago today, and yet the official events are not quite over.

In the end, around 1.4 million people came to Oberursel to visit the Hessentag, breaking the previous record with the procession on the last day alone having almost 4,000 participants.

Next week (25th-29th July) the remaining merchandise will be sold off in the foyer of the Rathaus.

And then… something typically German happens.  A by-law called the Hessische Gemeindeordnung (HGO) contains a paragraph (§ 8a) which calls for something called a Bürgerversammlung – a citizen’s meeting.  Such a meeting is taking place in the Stadthalle in Oberursel on Monday, 8th August, 2011 at 7pm.

Both supporters and critics of the Hessentag will be given the chance to put forward their opinions of the event, although I hope they do listen to the critics more than they did at the last information evening that I attended in December 2010.

Maybe the last word has not yet been heard…

As the Hessentag 2011 in Oberursel draws to a close, the baton is passed on to the town of Wetzlar who will be holding the event next year.

On Tuesday (14th June) during the Hessentag in Oberursel there was surprise guest on the Frankfurter Neue Presse stage in the Deschauer Park: Jutta W. Thomasius.

I was not aware in advance who Frau Thomasius was, but had I known she was coming and looking in Wikipedia I would have found out about all of the high-ranking prizes she has won in her lifetime.

Jutta W. Thomasius talking to Ulrich Müller-Braun

Jutta W. Thomasius is a long-time journalist working for the newspaper group, but it was the fact that she had learnt her skills working for the “Deutsche Zeitung” – one of the first newspapers to be licensed by the American forces in 1946 – that caught my attention and caused me to listen to the rest of the interview. (more…)