{"id":10468,"date":"2026-10-31T15:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T14:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8000\/unsere-haesfiguren\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T11:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T10:25:28","slug":"unsere-haesfiguren","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/unsere-haesfiguren\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Traditional Characters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our traditional carnival characters and their H\u00e4s \u2013 their distinctive costumes \u2013 tell the story of Berghaupten\u2019s Fasent, local legends and mining history.<\/p>\n\n<nav id=\"haesfiguren-uebersicht\" class=\"nz-figures-nav\" aria-label=\"Traditional Carnival Characters\"><a href=\"#knerbli-hex\">The Knerbli Witch<\/a> <a href=\"#eichel-spaettle\">The Eichel-Sp\u00e4ttle<\/a> <a href=\"#bergknapp\">The Bergknapp \u2013 Miner<\/a> <a href=\"#steiger\">The Steiger \u2013 Mining Foreman<\/a> <a href=\"#burgvogt\">The Burgvogt \u2013 Castle Steward<\/a> <a href=\"#knerblibolderer\">The Knerblibolderer Band<\/a><\/nav>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"knerbli-hex\"><h2 id=\"knerbli-hex\">The Knerbli Witch<\/h2><p><strong>Witches have a long tradition in Berghaupten.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Die Knerbli-Hex\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"205\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/nz-knerbli\/assets\/images\/haesfiguren\/hexe_bild.jpg\" width=\"165\"\/>The first recorded mention of men dressed as witches dates from 1938 (source: Offenburger Tageblatt, 23 February 1938). They were causing mischief at the Badischer Hof, then the carnival gathering place in Berghaupten.<\/p>\n<p>The striking green headscarf worn by the Knerbli witches comes from an old Berghaupten legend. A distinctive tradition of our guild is that only men may join the witches\u2019 costume group, while only women may join the Sp\u00e4ttle group. The witch\u2019s mask has another unusual feature: its two halves have different expressions, one friendly and one stern \u2013 just like life itself.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back through the Knerbli guild\u2019s chronicles reveals names and symbols familiar from carnival literature. Traditional figures and customs such as the Altweiberm\u00fchle (\u2018old women\u2019s mill\u2019), the carnival father and mother, torchlight processions and Prince Carnival appear repeatedly in the records from 1938 to 1969.<br\/>\nIn the 1950s, Berghaupten\u2019s Council of Eleven organised the carnival celebrations. This carnival association was headed by Prince Carnival, who publicly proclaimed the annual period of carnival freedom. In 1958, the Berghaupten carnival guild had 128 members. Its affairs were led by the fondly remembered Josef Gieringer, whose title was still Narrenvater (\u2018carnival father\u2019), rather than Oberzunftmeister (\u2018chief guild master\u2019). Older residents in particular still use that title today.<\/p>\n<p>Why is Berghaupten\u2019s carnival guild called \u2018Knerbli\u2019? People from neighbouring villages have long used this nickname for Berghaupten residents. Earlier in the twentieth century, it was also recorded as \u2018Kn\u00f6rble\u2019 (source: Offenburger Tagblatt, 6 February 1954). Old stories tell how people from Berghaupten used to cut timber in the neighbouring Zunsweier forest, although the trees did not belong to them. Afraid of being discovered and eager to finish quickly, they cut the trees \u2013 mainly oaks \u2013 about a metre above the ground. The stump left behind was known as a \u2018Kn\u00f6rble\u2019 or \u2018Knerbli\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"eichel-spaettle\"><h2 id=\"eichel-spaettle\">The Eichel-Sp\u00e4ttle<\/h2><p><img alt=\"Die Eichel-Sp\u00e4ttle\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"165\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/nz-knerbli\/assets\/images\/haesfiguren\/spaettle_bild.jpg\" width=\"234\"\/>Berghaupten\u2019s forest is also rich in oak trees and their gnarled growths, which are likewise called \u2018Knerbli\u2019 or \u2018Kn\u00f6rble\u2019 in local dialect. This is how the nickname for Berghaupten\u2019s residents came about \u2013 and it was not always meant kindly!<br\/>\nThis was probably also why the carnival revellers of the time adopted the name. From it emerged the <strong>\u2018old lady\u2019<\/strong> of Berghaupten\u2019s carnival, the <strong>Knerbli Witch<\/strong> and the friendly, cheerful <strong>Eichel-Sp\u00e4ttle characters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Berghaupten has a ridge called the Bellenberg, now known as the Bellenwald. According to local tradition, its name recalls its dedication to the Celtic goddess Bellina. A Celtic place of sacrifice is said to have stood on this hill.<br\/>\nLocal lore traces the lingering fear of the Bellenwald back to those times. Ghosts are said to appear there frequently, along with a legendary <strong>old woman \u2013 a witch \u2013 wearing a green headscarf<\/strong> . These tales gave rise to many superstitions. One says that anyone caught in a thunderstorm in the Bellenwald must make the sign of the cross after every flash of lightning or risk being struck, unless they have a palm frond hanging at home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"bergknapp\"><h2 id=\"bergknapp\">The Bergknapp \u2013 Miner<\/h2><p><img alt=\"Der Bergknapp\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"230\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/nz-knerbli\/assets\/images\/haesfiguren\/bergknapp_bild.jpg\" width=\"150\"\/>A coal mine operated in Berghaupten from 1755 to 1915. The coal deposit was discovered in 1753 by <strong>miners<\/strong> working for the Barons Roeder von Diersburg and von der Leyen of Zunsweier.<br\/>\nAt that time, the lords of Berghaupten were the noble von Schley\u00df family, who lived in the small manor house that is now the town hall.<\/p>\n<p>This important chapter of Berghaupten\u2019s history inspired our probationary costume group, the <strong>miners<\/strong>, the <strong>Steiger<\/strong>costume group and the <strong>Knerblibolderer guild band<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone wishing to join one of the three costume groups \u2013 witches, Sp\u00e4ttle or Steiger \u2013 must first spend at least one year in the Bergknappen probationary group. The overall probationary period lasts at least two years. Under the association\u2019s constitution, only four new applicants can be admitted each year. Other applicants join a waiting list and move forward each year.<br\/>\nThe guild\u2019s Bergknappen outfit is a faithful reproduction, down to the buttons, of the ceremonial uniform worn by Berghaupten\u2019s miners at their 1896 celebration of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"steiger\"><h2 id=\"steiger\">The Steiger \u2013 Mining Foreman<\/h2><p><img alt=\"Der Steiger\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"305\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/nz-knerbli\/assets\/images\/haesfiguren\/steiger_bild.jpg\" width=\"165\"\/>The <strong>Steiger<\/strong>, the miners\u2019 foreman, completes this historic tradition in his magnificent uniform. Our Steiger uniform reproduces an original Berghaupten outfit dating from the turn of the twentieth century. The municipality of Berghaupten purchased the original from the local history museum in Zell am Harmersbach, which had acquired it in circumstances that can no longer be traced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"burgvogt\"><h2 id=\"burgvogt\">The Burgvogt \u2013 Castle Steward<\/h2><p>The final traditional Berghaupten character is the Burgvogt, the castle steward who administers and exercises the market and tavern rights of the \u2018Free Knerbli Castle\u2019 in Berghaupten.<br\/>\nEach year, at the large village carnival gathering on Carnival Sunday and Shrove Tuesday, he presides over Berghaupten\u2019s carnival community. Nine local associations belong to this community under a friendship agreement concluded in 1994.<\/p>\n<p>The Burgvogt and the \u2018Free Knerbli Castle\u2019 draw on several written accounts and traditions from Berghaupten. One concerns Chief Steward Stufer (source: Ein Flu\u00df erz\u00e4hlt Geschichten, Grimmelshausen Verlag), one of the most feared stewards of his time. Legend says that his injustice condemned him to wander as a ghost after his death. His last reported appearance was in the nineteenth century, when carters transporting coal from Berghaupten\u2019s mine to Lahr saw him in the municipal forest.<br\/>\nThe castle itself is said to have stood in the area now known as Burgstall. During the Thirty Years\u2019 War, it was the home of Knight Roland of Berghaupten (source: Ein Flu\u00df erz\u00e4hlt Geschichten, Grimmelshausen Verlag), known locally as the \u2018Unfortunate Knight\u2019. Swedish soldiers drove his fianc\u00e9e Edeltraud, daughter of Knight Edelbert of Thiersberg \u2013 today\u2019s Diersburg \u2013 to her death. Overcome with grief, he handed his possessions to his brother, Knight Rudolf, and became an abbot in a monastery.<br\/>\nTo conclude, an old carnival saying captures the spirit of our local and regional Fasent:<br\/>\n<strong>\u2018If someone stands by the roadside and weeps as the revellers burn the carnival tree, they have understood what Fasent means.\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\n<section class=\"nz-figure-description\" aria-labelledby=\"knerblibolderer\"><h2 id=\"knerblibolderer\">The Knerblibolderer Band<\/h2><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/nz-knerbli\/assets\/images\/haesfiguren\/bolder_bild.jpg\" alt=\"Die Zunftkapelle Knerblibolderer\" width=\"299\" height=\"165\" loading=\"lazy\">The guild band <strong>\u2018Knerblibolderer\u2019<\/strong> traces its origins to the miners\u2019 band of 1896. Its uniform of heavy, sturdy fabric follows the outfit worn at that time.<\/p><p class=\"nz-back-top\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#haesfiguren-uebersicht\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/p><\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unsere H\u00e4sfiguren erz\u00e4hlen von der Berghauptener Fasent, den \u00f6rtlichen Sagen und der Bergbaugeschichte. Die Knerbli-Hex Die Eichel-Sp\u00e4ttle Der Bergknapp Der Steiger Der Burgvogt Die Knerblibolderer Die Knerbli-Hex Die Hexen haben in Berghaupten eine alte Tradition. Im Jahre 1938 (Quelle: Offenburger Tageblatt vom 23.02.1938) wurden erstmals M\u00e4nner in Hexengew\u00e4nder erw\u00e4hnt, die im Badischen Hof, der damaligen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10468","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10468"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10478,"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10468\/revisions\/10478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narrenzunft.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}