Öblarner Festival

The Oblarn Festival “The Wedding” is performed every 5 years. The focus of the plot is Archduke Johann, who came to Oblarn in 1821. Paula Grogger wrote her dramatic poem around this historical fact.

More than 300 amateur actors, all from Öblarn, take part. The special appeal lies in the fact that today's Öblarners play their own ancestors. The Öblarn Festival “The Wedding” is the largest amateur theater in the Alpine region. The picturesque market square in Öblarn serves as the natural backdrop for the play, which is unique in terms of folk cultural values, where the church, manorial office and vicarage form an acting arena that no longer requires any technical aids.

The focus of the plot is Archduke Johann, who came to Oblarn on July 29, 1821 to take part in the Pfegers von Gstatt's wedding as a bride guide (assistant). The Styrian prince met the 17-year-old Aussee postmaster's daughter, Anna Plochl. This gave the lovers an opportunity to talk.

Lively hustle and bustle in the square, many dialogues about secret love and the concerns and needs of the population and almost forgotten customs nestle like a cloak around the action, which culminates in the “homage” to Archduke Johann, the good spirit of the Alpine reached. The village gossip, the many large formations such as rifle companies, veterans, miners, music band, dance group and Bradlmusi are also part of it. What is special about this game is the fact that it is spoken in pure dialect in meter. All participants are dressed in original costumes from the 19th century.