They opened the carnival exhibition(from left): Furtwangen's former mayor Josef Herdner, Mayor Florian Merz, Guild Master Dirk Friese, HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann, and Roland Wehrle, former President of the Swabian-Alemannic Carnival Guilds. Source: Furtwangen University
“Fools, Sound & Tradition” until 23 February at Furtwangen University
“Furtwangen University and Furtwangen Carnival have a long history together. In 1913, students at the watchmaking school, which later became the university, organised the first Hemdglunker parade in Furtwangen.” With this historical context, Dr. Alexandra Bormann, President of Furtwangen University (HFU), opened the exhibition “Fools, Sound & Tradition – Cultural Heritage of Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet in Furtwangen.” The exhibition in the historic university building is part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Furtwangen Fools' Guild. At the opening, Roland Wehrle, former president and honorary president of the Swabian-Alemannic Fools' Guilds, brought the more than 300-year history of Furtwangen Carnival to life with pictures and historical anecdotes.
“Actually, Fasnet runs counter to the serious, scientific and regulated everyday life of the university. But that's exactly the point − to turn the familiar upside down and look at life from a different perspective. That's why we always plan a break in our exam period during the carnival season,” reported the president. “With the exhibition at the university, we can strengthen and accompany the tradition even more directly this year.”
In the G building, the four exhibition rooms are sorted by theme and contain photos, masks, documents, and much more relating to the association's area, the 13 member guilds of the Black Forest region, and the Furtwangen carnival. There is also a multimedia room where restored and digitised films are shown.
The exhibition runs until 23 February and can be visited on Thursdays and Fridays from 2.00pm to 7.00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 11.00am to 5.00pm in the G Building (Baumannstraße 38). Admission is free, but the Furtwangen Carnival Guild welcomes donations for its youth work.