The Oktoberfest 2019 begins with the tapping of the keg on September 21. Before that we will introduce the hosts in a new series. It all starts with Stephanie Spendler from the Löwenbräuzelt.
Munich - When the firecrackers crack at exactly twelve o'clock on September 21, the festival area at the foot of the Bavaria is transformed back into a world of its own - a realm in which the clocks tick differently, where fascination and joy rule. And: in which the Oktoberfest hosts set the tone. 16 days long!
Perhaps you have already asked yourself, dear users, what the ladies and gentlemen are up to far away from the Oktoberfest. We were allowed to accompany the restaurateurs for a day - while shopping, gardening, in private.
In our series you can read how the hosts spend their (free) time, what loads they shoulder every day. And which projects you put your heart and soul into. So much can already be revealed: The ladies and gentlemen will never be bored - neither on nor far away from the Oktoberfest!
Once a week, Stephanie Spendler lets herself be shaken on a vibration device. The training strengthens the deep muscles and improves mobility.
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Wiesn series: Landlady Spendler prefers the e-bike to the car
Yes, the alarm clock rings in the morning even with a Oktoberfest hostess. After getting up, Stephanie Spendler first brushes her teeth. Then the 52-year-old thinks about what to wear on the way to work - because how she gets there is clear: with the e-bike. “That's what I wanted my family to do for my 50th birthday,” she says. Since then, she has cycled about 4,300 kilometers on his saddle, regardless of wind and weather.
“Of course I could also drive the car. That would take about ten minutes, ”says Spendler. “But it only takes two minutes longer by bike - and the route is much nicer.” In addition, keep exercise fit and clear your head. So off you bike and off you go on the wild ride towards Hirschau, Spendler's restaurant in the English Garden. The landlady walks directly along the Isar - every day. Spendler only makes an exception “when it is less than five degrees”. Then the bike stays at home.
Vacation: In winter, Steffi Spendler is out on skis.
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Wiesn series: Landlady Spendler sees the end of summer coming
Stephanie Spendler is not a fair-weather cyclist. She's much too happy to watch nature change: How gravel banks appear in the river and go down again, how the Isar sometimes shimmers and sometimes flows cloudy. Halfway through, the landlady comes across a maple tree with yellowish foliage. "You can read the seasons wonderfully on this tree," she says. Her conclusion: Unfortunately, summer is almost over ...
Steffi Spendler has also played beach volleyball since she was a child. Now in late August, she's on the pitch twice a week. Every Tuesday and Sunday she dredges, slips and blocks in the leisure league. She used to be active in the women's team at FC Schwabing. But she never wanted to play professionally: "That was always just for fun."
When winter comes, the landlady goes to the mountains - to ski with her family. Once a week she allows herself a so-called vibration training. "That strengthens the muscles." Just the thing for someone who has to tackle a mammoth project like the Oktoberfest ...
Severin Heidrich
We explain how to get to the Oktoberfest by bus, train or carpooling. This time a popular spot will be closed during the Oktoberfest. In contrast, a sheep's head tournament is held in the Armbrustschützenzelt.
The tent in brief
- Beer price: 11.80 euros
- The brewery: Löwenbräu
- Half a chicken: 12.40 euros
- Delicacy: We particularly recommend the Kaiserschmarrn from the giant cast iron pan with raisins and apple sauce for 13.50 euros. There is also the vegan vegetable strudel for 15.50 euros
- Eating cheaply: There are three different lunchtime dishes from Monday to Friday, they are priced between 11.50 and 13.50 euros
- Seats: 5800 places in the tent, 2700 in the beer garden
- Smokers: Smoking is only allowed in the beer garden, there are no special smoking entrances
- Music: Bert Hansmaiers Heldensteiner play in the Löwenbräuzelt (Monday to Friday from 12 noon to 3 p.m. and from 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.) - this year for the first time under the direction of Günter Pilzweger
Space for almost 6000 Oktoberfest guests; The Löwenbräuzelt is an indispensable part of the world's largest folk festival.
© Bodmer
The host family
Stephanie Spendler (photo, 2nd from left) leads the Löwenbräuzelt alone for the first time this year. The 52-year-old has taken over the tent from her dad, Wiesn veteran Wiggerl Hagn (79, right). From 1953, his parents were hosts in the Schützenzelt. When his father died in 1956, 16-year-old Wiggerl helped his mother in the tent. In 1961 he became the host in the Schützenzelt himself. 18 years later, the family was awarded the Löwenbräu tent. In 1999 Wiggerl and Christa (76, 2nd from right) Hagn's daughter Steffi also joined the company as landlady. Her husband Michael (57, left) also works on the Wiesn team. The family's main business is the “Hirschau im Englischer Garten”, a restaurant with a beer garden.
Family photo: Steffi Spendler (2nd from left) with parents and husband.
© Kruse
