A grand, five-day bash to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, Munich’s first ‘Oktoberfest’ kicked off on October 12th, 1810, with an emphasis on horse races, folk costumes, and royal pageantry (rather than steins and sausages).
Ludwig later admitted he’d chosen Therese for practical reasons, not passion - and proceeded to have plenty of affairs, including one with the infamous dancer Lola Montez, which helped bring an end to his reign. But the people adored Queen Therese, and continued to celebrate Oktoberfest annually, until it evolved into the world’s biggest beer festival.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover that lederhosen and dirndls aren’t as old as you might think they are; explain how the breweries came to dominate the festivities; and reveal just how many pounds of Swiss cheese those original revellers consumed…
Further Reading:
• ‘What is Oktoberfest—and why is it actually in September?’ (National Geographic, 2023): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/oktoberfest-munich-tradition-history
• ‘Oktoberfest History: The First and the Worst’ (TIME, 2015): https://time.com/4065335/oktoberfest-history/
• ‘Bottoms Up - Oktoberfest 1957’ (British Pathé, 1957): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQQDtUbBSs
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026.
#Germany #1800s #Royals #Food
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