Germany’s biggest pumpkin weighs in at almost 800 kilos
At the largest pumpkin festival in the world on Sunday, a Bavarian team became this year’s German champions with a pumpkin that was heavier than them all at 792.5 kilograms.
About 60 participants brought their pumpkins to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin festival but as with any competition, there could only be one winner.
The Bavarian duo that came in first place for their pumpkin - Norbert Mitschke and Robert Jaser - fell short of last year’s record of just over 900 kilos with their 792.5-kilogram pumpkin.
Second place went to a participant from southern Hesse, whose pumpkin weighed 644 kilos.
The annual event held in the city of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg is the highlight of the year for pumpkin growers who battle it out for the title of having grown the heaviest pumpkin. For them, the championship marks the end of a nail-biting growing period.
Pumpkins being weighed in front of the palace in Ludwigsburg. Photo: DPA.
In its 18th year, Ludwigsburg Pumpkin festival is the largest of its kind across the world - beating even those held in the USA or Canada. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. The number of pumpkins which descend on the city during the festival - over 450,000 - outnumbers Ludwigburg’s inhabitants by more than 5 to 1.
For spectators, the record-weighing of the pumpkins is a spectacle in itself. In addition to the use of forklift trucks, three helpers were required to place the mammoth vegetables on the scales on Sunday.
The winning pumpkins qualify to enter another competition also in Ludwigsburg on October 8th - the European championships for pumpkin winners. On November 8th, the massive pumpkins will be cut into smaller pieces and given out to visitors.
READ ALSO: The rise and rise of the pumpkin in Germany
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About 60 participants brought their pumpkins to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin festival but as with any competition, there could only be one winner.
The Bavarian duo that came in first place for their pumpkin - Norbert Mitschke and Robert Jaser - fell short of last year’s record of just over 900 kilos with their 792.5-kilogram pumpkin.
Second place went to a participant from southern Hesse, whose pumpkin weighed 644 kilos.
The annual event held in the city of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg is the highlight of the year for pumpkin growers who battle it out for the title of having grown the heaviest pumpkin. For them, the championship marks the end of a nail-biting growing period.
Pumpkins being weighed in front of the palace in Ludwigsburg. Photo: DPA.
In its 18th year, Ludwigsburg Pumpkin festival is the largest of its kind across the world - beating even those held in the USA or Canada. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. The number of pumpkins which descend on the city during the festival - over 450,000 - outnumbers Ludwigburg’s inhabitants by more than 5 to 1.
For spectators, the record-weighing of the pumpkins is a spectacle in itself. In addition to the use of forklift trucks, three helpers were required to place the mammoth vegetables on the scales on Sunday.
The winning pumpkins qualify to enter another competition also in Ludwigsburg on October 8th - the European championships for pumpkin winners. On November 8th, the massive pumpkins will be cut into smaller pieces and given out to visitors.
READ ALSO: The rise and rise of the pumpkin in Germany
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