Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival or Kurbisfest was something that I was really excited to attend. After I heard that you could go inside the Baroque palace and try various kinds of pumpkin flavored foods, I was sold. The pumpkin fest is held in the gardens of the Ludwigsburg Palace. There are over 500 species of pumpkins displayed here. Every year there is a theme for the fest. This year they chose the Olympics games as their muse. The fest this year ran from August 8 until November 3, so it is open for quite some time.
It was so fun to just enjoy the beautiful fall day with good friends and admire all the different kinds of beautiful pumpkins. We sat down for lunch and shared a variation of pumpkin flavored dishes. Below is pumpkin spaghetti with bread with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin and squash over rice, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin strudel. Other things you can get are cakes, popcorn, and roasted squash. Worth the trip for the food alone.
We walked the gardens and spotted the mini Rapunzel's Castle. You can see her "throwing down her hair."
After enjoying the festival we (I) decided that I wanted to take a tour of the beautiful Baroque Palace. There are tours in English. It's near Stuttgart and it's one of Germany's largest Baroque Palaces. Originally this palace started as a hunting lodge but it soon outgrew that purpose and another hunting lodge of beautiful architecture was built nearby. When you view the inside of the palace you can look from one room and see down many many meters to end of the hall. This is typical of the Baroque style of using symmetry in the design. Much of the architecture is parallel on each side. The inside of the palace is interesting because as the centuries have gone by, the rooms were adorned in accordance to the new styles, so you can see elements of Baroque, Rococo, Empire, and Neo Classicism from one room to the next. You can literally walk from some of the older Baroque rooms and the next one will be in the Neo Classical style, which has a lot of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian influences. Both very different styles.
The tour is very informative, but unfortunately you are not allowed to take picture inside. I was peeved that I couldn't take pics inside the Neuschwanstein castle, especially the bedroom, so I did sneak a pic of the bedroom of the Queen in this palace below. As you can see, it is in the Baroque style. And you can see her chair toilet where, as the tour guide put it "she took her royal shit." What I thought was really weird was that the tour guide said that during important dinners with guests, it was a privilege for the guests to watch the king or queen take their royal shit at the dinner table. Wow, have things changed....
I didn't leave empty handed of course. Below are the pumpkin items I brought home. Some pumpkin seed oil which I used as a dressing on a fruit salad and it tasted amazing, some pumpkin liquor that I used to make some pumpkin spaghetti of my own, some delicious pumpkin wine, and a mini pumpkin!
What a nice fall day at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival and Palace. I'd visit again, because there are always new themes and different types of tours within the palace.
Have you been to an awesome pumpkin festival this fall?
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This sounds amazing! Those red pumpkins that look like they have other pumpkins stuffed in are so strange looking.
ReplyDeleteHaha I know, those were my favorite ones, I wanted to take one home. I kept calling them exploding butt pumpkins. Mature, I know...
DeleteThat is an amazing exhibit of pumpkin creativity in all senses! Wow! As for the castle, I get so bummed when one can't take photos! I'm pretty glad times have changed since those dining-days!
ReplyDeleteOMG I know. Like how could people finish eating when the queen is taking her royal shit during dinner?
DeleteSo many things made from pumpkin, mnot possible...very nice post :-) liked it all
ReplyDeleteThanks Hotelchoosing!
DeleteWow. I have never seen so many interesting pumpkins! So colorful. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the pumpkin faces! Sheer inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like so much fun! I'd love to see the palace and all of those different pumpkins! How was the pumpkin wine?
ReplyDeleteThe pumpkin wine was very good. Especially if you like sweet wine. It had fizz to it to. But I was really surprised about the Pumpkin oil It tasted great on a salad.
DeleteThis looks incredible- probably because I am obsessed with pumpkins. I also love Rapunzel ;)
ReplyDeleteYea the Rapunzel castle was cool. Not sure if it is the original one but still cool
Deletepumpkin wine, yum! I have only just hear of this this year, and I neeeed to go!!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely need to go. The wine is so good and they are open until Nov. 3!
DeleteI had to check out your post on the Tablescaper when I saw all the pumpkins. The palace looks stunning; I've always wanted to go to Europe and see the historical sites.
ReplyDeleteThe men covered in pumpkins - what a fun idea!
All of this is just so spectacular. Thanks for all the fabulous pics and Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a GREAT festival. I like pumpkins - they make such a contrasting color against the rest of the landscape.
ReplyDeleteI know, fall and Halloween are my favorite times of the year, besides summer of course!
DeleteLove the pumpkins and squash. So many creative ideas at the festival. Boy, I had to laugh out loud when I came to the part about the royal toilet! IMAGINE! Sitting at table and the King or Queen taking a sh--! Wow. . .
ReplyDeleteI know. It just baffles me that this could have been acceptable at any point in time. The king and queen were so full of themselves, literally!
DeleteHalloween may be over now but what a spectacular selection of pumpkins and squashes. I like the idea of being able to sample pumpkin dishes. What a venue for it too.
ReplyDeleteI know, I loved pumpkin flavored everything! It's such a versatile food. Can be sweet or savory.
DeleteThat pumpkin face getting squashed (ha ha) by the soccer ball is hilarious. With the festival lasting for so many weeks, I wonder how they keep the sculpted ones from rotting. The palace looks fab, and do you think the custom of being honored to watch people goo wee is where the nickname "the throne" comes from?
ReplyDeleteI know, I guess it's so cold outside that they don't rot? Perhaps this could be where that term comes from.
DeleteGorgeous! Love all those piles of pretty pumpkins and squash! Your photos are filled with movement and vibrancy! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletePoppy
Thanks Poppy!
DeleteHow I wish I could visit the places you get to go! Loved all the different varieties of pumpkins and the one with the soccer ball...so funny!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
What a fabulous pumpkin festival! Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteI love each and every one of them! And I want that pumpkin soup and pumpkin strudel!
~Lorraine ♥♥♥
Wow--Awesome photos! Looks like great fun, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen this much pumpkin variety. It's such a beautiful castle and I love the mini Rapunzel tower. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin soup or pie but like pumpkin bread. It's great how you were able to sample the dishes and buy pumpkin-made items. Now..that is a pumpkin festival.
ReplyDeleteI know, it was the Mecca of pumpkin festivals, I had to make it at least once even thought it was a pretty far drive. The Rapunzel tower was cool too.
DeleteThis reminds me so much of the Kurbisfest we went to in Austria while we lived there. It was SO fun! The entire town is decorated and each year follows a theme. Beautiful location for a kurbisfest! Can't believe that about the toilet! Oh my!!
ReplyDeleteYep, Austria's customs are very similar to Bavaria. Can't wait to visit there!
DeleteJust wanted you to know I'll be featuring you this week at Simple & Sweet Fridays. Thanks so much for sharing this spectacular pumpkin festival and photos!! It looks like so much fun, wish I was there too!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jody
What a gorgeous day out this was! I learned to appreciate pumpkin as something more than a form to carve for Halloween when I stayed with my sister-in-law in Austria. It was the first time I had eaten pumpkin as a vegetable, and the first time I had eaten pumpkin oil on a salad. It was love at first bite! I make a lot of pumpkin dishes now, although the oil is still a little bit difficult to find here.
ReplyDeleteI tried some pumpkin squash at the festival too. It was pretty good. But that oil on a salad was excellent, wish I would have picked up a few more bottles.
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