Overview
- Across more than 20 Harz towns, the festival draws tens of thousands on Thursday with parades, fire shows, theater and family events.
- In Chemnitz, the Hartmannplatz area will be fenced, security staff increased and one large blaze replaced with several smaller fire baskets, according to organizer Rico Illgen.
- The city approved ten official fires, with the Hartmannplatz Sachsenfeuer marking its 20th edition with live music, a fire show and children’s activities from early evening.
- Program highlights include Goethe’s Faust in Braunlage ending with fireworks and a tribute lineup on Thale’s Hexentanzplatz, while many events are free but some require costumes that can be bought on site.
- Historian Kai Lehmann urges more sensitivity to witch-trial history and says the ‘witch’ motif should be dropped, noting research that estimates about 35,000 victims in areas of today’s Germany.