Kinderzech’-Zeughaus

The Kinderzech’-Zeughaus stands in Dinkelsbühl, a former free imperial town in Mittelfranken. It is part of the town’s historic centre, where half-timbered houses line cobbled lanes around St George’s Minster. The building itself once served as a storehouse for civic arms and now houses the town’s archive and museum. Its name recalls the old custom of the ‘Zeche’, when schoolchildren paraded at the end of term to receive gifts. The festival that gave the Zeughaus its modern role is the Kinderzeche, a children’s and local celebration with roots in the late 15th century. It began as separate Catholic and Protestant school outings, each rewarding pupils with small sums of money. By the 17th century these had grown into colourful parades, and in 1897 the town added a historical play about a girl called Lore who saved Dinkelsbühl from Swedish troops in 1632. Over 1,100 local people now take part every year. Visitors find the Zeughaus in the main square, its stone walls lined with display cases of uniforms, drums and documents. Inside, glass cases hold the swords and banners carried by the Knabenbataillon and the Knabenkapelle. Outside, the square fills with schoolchildren in 17th-century dress, their teachers and townsfolk in period costume. The play is performed in the open air, while nearby the ‘Sweden camp’ shows how soldiers lived during the Thirty Years War.