Oberpfälzer Schlossteufeln – Say What?

If you’ve ever visited Germany, you may remember seeing  remnants of its rich history in almost every town. Heavily influenced by the traditions of Germanic and Celtic tribes around the time of the roman empire, Germans have adopted many customs and traditions of these tribes. The Oberpfälzer Schlossteufeln or Upper Palatinatian Castle Devils are a unique group in Bavaria whose goal is to keep German traditions alive in their old form by appearing at public events, such as medieval festivals, to entertain and educate the crowds.

Not All Scary Creatures

Not only do the Schlossteufeln dress up and re-enact truly creepy witches, krampusse (devilish companions of Santa to take care of naughty kids), they also show case good angels and, of course, St. Nikolaus himself as part of their Christmas performances.

Our Encounter with the Oberpfälzer Schlossteufeln

We’ve stumbled upon the Oberpfälzer Schlossteufeln in Regensburg at the Bürgerfest – the City Fest – two years in a row. As we walked through the gates to one of the market squares in town, we were wowed by the spooky costume display (first picture above). As we entered the market square, we were greeted by some creepy fellows, whipping heavy chains around and messing with people.

Not even my husband, Don, was spared from their pranks, as you see in the pictures below.

I must say, these Castle Devils were the highlight of our Regensburg trip that day. Don’t forget to check their events calendar before you travel to Bavaria. It’s definitely something worth checking out.

Want to see more? Click here for some cool videos of night-time ritual performances of the  Oberpfälzer Schlossteufeln. I wish we could’ve seen one of those while we were there.

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Until next time,

Nickie