4500 mountain shooters celebrate tradition and believe in Benediktbeuern!

4500 mountain shooters celebrate tradition and believe in Benediktbeuern!

Benediktbeuern, Deutschland - On May 4, 2025, the festive patronage day of the mountain rifle took place in Benediktbeuern, in which around 4500 mountain shooters from all Bavarian Companies . Despite the initial rain, the service on the meadow on the Obermühlfeld could be celebrated largely dry. The liturgical celebration was carried out by Pastor Bernhard Stiegler as well as the deacons Georg Meigel and Hubertus Klingebiel . Monastery director Father Heinz Menz held the sermon and reminded of the over 500-year history of the antlaetive skiers, the origin of which lies in the defense of the monastery and the accompaniment of the Blessed Sacrament.

Among the guests of honor, Prime Minister Markus Söder and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger . Governor Martin Haberfellner symbolically presented Söder an honorary sobber, who is supposed to embody the values ​​of defenders. In his speech, Söder emphasized the importance of tradition, freedom and volunteer work in Bavaria. Mayor Anton Ortlieb spoke of the values ​​of home love, loyalty to the belief, camaraderie and cohesion that shape the community of mountain shooters.

The tradition of the patronage day

The patronage day is celebrated as the main festival of the federal government of the Bavarian mountain rifle company and takes place annually on May first. This year the event was organized by the Antlaßschützen company Benediktbeuern-Ried. The day is dedicated to the Patrona Bavariae , the mother of God, and has his roots in the worship of Mary, which has been cultivated in Bavaria since the Middle Ages. Historically, the veneration of Mary is deeply anchored in Bavarian culture, with important state actions that took place on women's days.

already duke Maximilian laid the foundation for this tradition in 1598 when he started his reign with a pilgrimage to Altötting. The mountain shooters continue to carry this in their flags, which are often decorated with the Madonna portrait. The patronage day reaffirms the connection of the shooters with their belief and their homeland.

historical context of the mountain shooters

The mountain shooters are traditional Bavarian shooting associations that are particularly active in Upper Bavaria. Your story goes back to the Middle Ages . In 1492, patterns for national defense were carried out, and in the period from 1632 to 1648 they defended the Oberland against Swedish troops. Also in the Austrian War of Succession they were among the brave defenders of their homeland.

After the Second World War, the mountain shooters experienced a revival in 1949, which led to the foundation of the Federation of the Bavarian Mountains in 1951. Today, 12,000 mountain shooters are organized in 47 companies via . Their assemblies based on local costumes and their common orientation illustrate their commitment to the Bavarian folk culture.