History of the European Medieval Festival

1995 was the year of the first medieval festival in the centre of Horsens. The idea was to raise awareness of an important period in the town’s history and to create an event that the citizens of Horsens could become actively involved in.

The European Medieval Festival was a runaway success from year one with active participation from schools, scouts, kindergartens and social clubs. A lot has happened since then, and the festival has evolved into the largest of its kind in Northern Europe with 100,000 visitors and thousands of participants with a passion for the Middle Ages.

Today’s festival is an international medieval festival that draws participants and artists from a dozen European countries.

The municipality of Horsens is the official organiser, but the festival could not exist without the efforts and devotion of the citizens, clubs, schools, kindergartens and pensioners of Horsens.

Another reason why the festival has grown to its current size and importance is the constant focus on historical accuracy and commitment to creating as authentic a medieval experience as possible.

Period: Late middle ages
The European Medieval Festival reflects the market town of Horsens as it appeared during the period from 1350 to the end of the Middle Ages, which is marked by the Danish reformation in 1536. During this time, European art and culture went through rapid development.
 
Transforming the city centre
The European Medieval Festival works hard to prepare the historical aspects of the festival, so that each year can become an even more authentic medieval experience for the many visitors.

In order to change a dynamic modern city into a living medieval town, the high streets of Horsens are covered with wood chips and camouflaged with spruce poles, palisades and branches during mid-August to make lamp posts into trees and rubbish bins into stacks of woodpiles.