As of: February 19, 2024, 1:06 p.m
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Works of art of this kind can be found at the Easter egg market in Andechs.
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The best ideas are found in boredom.
That's how it was with Gertrud Weiss when she founded the Andechs Easter egg market.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of what may be the most fragile art exhibition in the district.
Andechs
– “I started it because I was bored,” admits Gertrud Weiss.
The organizer launched the Andechs Easter egg market more than 30 years ago.
This year the market opens its doors for the 30th time.
And as always, there is a lot of fragile art to admire.
Three years before the first Easter egg market was to take place, Gertrud Weiss from Bad Grönenbach started looking for the right exhibitors.
To do this, she crossed the borders to Austria, France and Italy and took a closer look at the local Easter markets.
The starting signal was given in 1994 – initially in the historic princely wing of Andechs Monastery.
Even back then, the organizer counted around 40 exhibitors.
A number that hasn't changed much to this day.
But what has changed is the location of the event.
“After five or six years we moved from the Fürstentract to the Florianstadl,” remembers Weiss.
The hall, which was formerly used for agricultural purposes, was expanded into a festival hall, primarily for the Orff Festival, which had previously existed - with 420 square meters of space and a gallery plus a 100 square meter stage.
This came in handy for Gertrud Weiss because the monument office ordered her to move the Easter eggs.
The increasing number of visitors led to ever higher humidity, which was harmful to the old monastery paintings.
After the Stadl opened, major events, including Gertrud Weiss' markets, only took place in the Florianstadl.
“Markets” because, in addition to the Easter egg market, the Munich native also organizes the annual Advent and chip box market in Andechs.
She even started this one a year earlier than the one for Easter eggs.
For the now 73-year-old, the move was a big change.
While the Prince's wing is designed for 100 people, the Florianstadl can accommodate up to 700 people.
The ambience is also completely different, but it was still “a good decision” to move the market into the hall.
This year, 48 stands are expected there, many regular exhibitors have been there for decades.
It was all a “growing process”.
“We are really great and have achieved this year after year,” enthuses the organizer and adds: “Many collectors and customers have always remained loyal to us.”
She particularly remembers an older couple who visited the market every year: “We shook hands, and later we drank coffee and they showed me what they bought.”
According to its own statement, the Andechs Easter egg market is one of the three best in the world.
This is mainly due to the quality of the exhibitors.
Anyone who thinks that these are just blown eggs is wrong.
Eggs encased in silk threads, embroidered Easter eggs, miniature paintings on natural eggs, wedding eggs and classic empty and collected eggs - the Andechs Easter egg market has almost no limits in terms of creativity and prices.
“The prices start at 15, 20 euros and end at 400, 500 euros,” says Weiss.
You can buy very beautiful pieces for 100 euros.
A three-digit sum for an Easter egg?
What may sound utopian is, for some people, worth the time-consuming detailed work.
Watercolor painting on eggshells is a real challenge, let alone drilling holes in the shell without breaking the egg.
Weiss has also learned a lot about techniques over time.
She has also been able to expand her own collection over the years.
There are now around 500 eggs in a glass display case at her home.
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Weiss also emphasizes the high time and cost that exhibitors have to invest.
Travel, accommodation and the goods: all of this has to pay for itself on the market.
“For 98 percent, the whole thing is a hobby,” explains the organizer.
It is of course desirable that a little money is left behind at the end.
On Friday, March 8th (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.), Saturday, March 9th, and Sunday, March 10th (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), collectors and interested parties are invited again to the Andechs Florianstadl for the 2024 market.
The entrance fee for adults is five euros, children up to 14 years of age have free entry.
There is also a children's craft corner for the younger guests, where they can "paint Easter bunnies or create small decorations for their Easter branch with constant supervision."
Pia Maurer