Olching (;

Central Bavarian Central or Middle Bavarian form a subgroup of Bavarian dialects in large parts of Austria and the German state of Bavaria along the Danube river, on the northern side of the Eastern Alps. They are spoken in the ' Old Bavarian' regions of Upper ...

: ''Oiching'') is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, and suburb to Munich in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated approximately 20 km (12 mi) northwest of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Geography

Olching lies approximately halfway between Dachau and

Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, 32 kilometres west of Munich. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it had a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base. Geography F ...

, and stretches along both sides of the River

Amper The Amper, called the Ammer upstream of the Ammersee, through which it runs, is the largest tributary of the Isar in southern Bavaria, Germany. It flows generally north-eastward, reaching the Isar in Moosburg, about from its source in the Amme ...

. There are two picturesque man-made lakes to the east of Olching, namely the ''Olchinger See'' (Lake Olching) and the eponymous ''Kleiner See'' (Small Lake), both of which border on the neighbouring municipality of

Gröbenzell Gröbenzell is a municipality and suburb to Munich in the district Fürstenfeldbruck, in Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in 1952, and has a population of 19,202. Gröbenzell is often called a garden city, which is also illustrated by the two flowe ...

. In recent years, Olching has expanded considerably through new building work to meet the demand for housing outside Munich while taking advantage of its good communications, which allow a reasonable commute for those still working in the city and its outskirts. These new developments, especially ''Schwaigfeld'', located north-east of the town centre — close to Olching's

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

exit — have attracted controversy amongst some locals for their apparently inconsistent planning and sometimes eclectic architecture. The ongoing influx of younger families into these new developments would appear to show that they have become a significant part of the modern Olching community, and the developments continue to grow and generate their own infrastructure improvements. A small shopping centre was opened in ''Schwaigfeld'' in January 2008.

Neighbouring communities

Olching is bordered to the west by Maisach, in the north by

Bergkirchen Bergkirchen is a municipality and a village (Pfarrdorf) in the district of Dachau in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea t ...

, in the East by

and the outskirts of metropolitan

, to the south by Puchheim, Eichenau and in the south-west by Emmering and

. The municipality of Olching is now (since 1978) made up of four main municipalities, namely Olching, Esting (including Neu-Esting), Geiselbullach and Graßlfing.

Communications

Olching is located near the

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

A8 exits ''Dachau/Fürstenfeldbruck'' and ''Lochhausen/Langwied'', as well as the

A99. The

trunk ring road ''B471'' also has 2 exits for Olching. The River

is neither navigable to leisure craft nor to goods traffic. Smaller

watercraft A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine. Types Historically, watercraft have been divided into two main categories. *Raf ...

such as

dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...

and

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

s are however frequently underway in the summer months.

Public transport

Olching is connected to the

Munich S-Bahn The Munich S-Bahn () is an Railway electrification system, electric rail transit system in Munich, Germany. "S-Bahn" is the German abbreviation for ''Stadtschnellbahn'' (literally, "urban rapid rail"), and the Munich S-Bahn exhibits characteris ...

network on the line. It takes about 20 minutes to

München Hauptbahnhof München Hauptbahnhof or Munich Central Station is the main railway station in the city of Munich, Germany. It is one of the three stations with long-distance services in Munich, the others being Munich East station (''München Ost'') and Munich- ...

(Munich Central Station). The line is part of the MVV, or ''Münchener Verkehrsverbund'', which is a unified

tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

zone that includes local buses,

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

s, and underground trains ( ''U-Bahnen'') in the

area. Olching station is located on - but not served by - the DB Munich–Augsburg mainline which also carries significant goods traffic. For express train travel, residents of Olching may travel via

Pasing Pasing is a district in the city of Munich, Germany, and part of the borough Pasing-Obermenzing. Overview Pasing is located west of the Munich city centre, at the north-western edge of the city's innermost traffic zone. The district is mainly res ...

and

Hauptbahnhof

Climate

Olching lies in the transitional zone between the humid Atlantic climate and the dry

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

s. Other significant factors affecting the weather are the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, which act as south-central European border, and the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, which is a regional

meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...

divide. Due to this constellation, the weather in the region is quite changeable.

Foehn

The so-called

foehn A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...

is a weather phenomenon particular to the region near to the Alps that occasionally brings warmer and drier air from the south to Olching, potentially occurring at any time of year. This is accompanied by extremely good visibility, in particular the much-clichéd

n blue and white sky, and the

Bavarian Alps The Bavarian Alps (, ) is a collective name for several mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps within the German state of Bavaria. Geography The term in its wider sense refers to that part of the Eastern Alps that lies on Bavarian state ...

may be clearly visible, apparently close by, although they are approximately 100 kilometres (60 mi) away to the south. Some people suffer from headaches and circulatory problems as a result of the foehn.

History

Early records

Olching is an old

bavarii The Baiuvarii or Bavarii, sometimes simply called Bavarians (; ) were a Germanic people who lived in and near present-day southern Bavaria, which is named after them. They began to appear in records by the 6th century AD, and their culture, lang ...

settlement and was first mentioned in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

. In 740 the Agilolfingian duke

Tassilo II of Bavaria Tassilo II () was a ruler in southern Germany. He was the son, probably third, of Theodo of Bavaria and Folchaid. Sometime before 715, Theodo divided his duchy and associated with its rule the eldest two of his four sons. The eldest, Theodbert, wa ...

bestowed the town, together with its church and flour mill, to the Benediktbeuern Abbey (the authenticity of this document is contested). The early Gothic church was replaced by the Romanesque basilica ''St. Peter und Paul'' in 1903. In 1258

Louis II, Duke of Bavaria Louis the Strict () (13 April 1229 – 2 February 1294) was Duke of Upper Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. He is known as Louis II or Louis VI following an alternative numbering. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of Otto II W ...

founded a monastery as a form of

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

for the execution of his wife Maria von Brabant, who had wrongfully been convicted of

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

. This monastery was relocated from Aibling to Olching in 1262. The monastery was relocated to

only one year later, either due to flooding or structural problems. The Fürstenfeld Abbey owned several estates in Olching until the period of

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

in 1802/1803. Olching suffered severely as a consequence of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, particularly after the city of

was taken by

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

in 1632. Only nine out of formerly 67 estates remained in Olching after 1648.

Developments in the 19th century

In 1821 Olching (which had until then been administered by Dachau) was transferred to the newly founded ' of

, and in 1823 it also came under the jurisdiction of

. In 1834 the first school was established in Olching. Until 1839 Olching was still very rural with about 50 farms and approximately 300 inhabitants. This changed with the construction of the railway line between Munich to Augsburg. The line between

and Olching was completed on 27 October 1839 and the rail service commenced the following year. At the same time a

wood pulp Pulp is a fibrous Lignocellulosic biomass, lignocellulosic material prepared by chemically, semi-chemically, or mechanically isolating the cellulose fiber, cellulosic fibers of wood, fiber crops, Paper recycling, waste paper, or cotton paper, rag ...

factory opened in Olching, which in turn led to a strong influx of workers.

The 20th century

The predominantly working class population had a large influence on the social and political culture of Olching during the 20th century. During the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

the municipal council was solely dominated by left-wing parties. However, for some of these left-wing politicians, such as SPD-mayor Josef Tauscheck, their political beliefs had serious repercussions due to the rise of the right in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. Some experienced a great degree of harassment, for others it led to internment in the infamous

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

after 1933. Just as in the rest of

the

National Socialists Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

also gained a large following in Olching in the run-up to and during the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

. During an allied air raid on 22 February 1944, 22 people were killed, including two of the approximately 1000 forced laborers located in and around Olching during the war. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

about 5,000

Heimatvertriebene The German Expellees or ''Heimatvertriebene'' (, "homeland expellees") are 12–16 million German citizens (regardless of ethnicity) and ethnic Germans (regardless of citizenship) who fled or were expelled after World War II from parts of Ge ...

( expellees), mainly from

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

and

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, arrived in Olching. In 1950 these new citizens made up 25% of the population of Olching and they contributed towards the dynamic development of Olching in the

post-war era A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, w ...

. The erstwhile rural appearance of Olching has changed over time, as the cityscape of Olching is becoming more and more dominated by businesses and blocks of flats. Many of Olching's citizens use the S-Bahn to commute to work in

, which was built for the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. In 1978 Esting, Geiselbullach, and Graßlfing were merged into the larger community of Olching and this has contributed towards a continuous population growth, especially since the development of the Schwaigfeld area in the early 2000s. Olching was named a city on 19 June 2011.Awarding of city rights, 19 June 2011 (German)
/ref>

Coat of Arms

Olching's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

originates from the year 1951. The swept blue bar in the lower part symbolises the river

, which flows through Olching and is of major significance for the town. The reed in the middle reminds that Olching was once marshland; the head of

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

symbolises the agriculture and land cultivation. The upper part displays the chequered blue and white

n standard.

Population

The current figure (August 2009) for the population of Olching is 24,582. In the past ten years, the population has grown by 10% and is expected by local officials to rise to 25,750 by 2010. This development is mainly driven by the importance of

as a centre of employment and by a wish to avoid the higher urban property prices which have been driven by

's continuing economic success.

Demographics

At present approximately 9% of the current population are of non-German origin.

Politics

The Olching Gemeinderat, or local council, has 30 seats. Since the latest local elections on 2 March 2008 it is made up as follows: *

CSU CSU may refer to: Universities and university systems United States * Columbia Southern University, in Orange Beach, Alabama * California State University system * Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado * Connecticut State Univers ...

—12 seats (+2) * SPD—7 seats (+4) * FWO—6 seats (-2) * Grüne—3 seats (+1) * FW-GEO—1 seat (-3) * ÖDP—1 seat (-1) The numbers in brackets indicate the gains and losses since the previous election in March 2002.

Religion and worship

Amongst the adult population, the declared religious affiliation (which has fiscal consequences in Germany) breaks down as follows: * 12,772 are Roman Catholic, * 3,975 are Protestant, * 7,456 are of other religious (Hindu, Muslim etc.) denominations or of no religion.

Churches

In the centre of Olching, the

skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

and Haupstrasse are dominated by the

catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, there is a smaller

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church near to the

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

and a modern catholic church in New Esting: *St. Peter und Paul (Olching) *St. Elisabeth v. Thüringen (Olching New Esting) *Evangelisch-Lutherische Johanneskirche (Olching) St. Peter und Paul (Olching).jpg, St. Peter und Paul St. Peter und Paul Olching.JPG, St Peter & Paul pictured in 2008 during renovation work. Johanneskirche olching.JPG, Johanneskirche in Olching's Wolfstrasse.

Other religious groups and organisations

As well as groups such as kindergartens, attached to and or supported by the church community, other groups of various denominations are present and active in Olching: *Brot des Lebens e.V. (Olching) *Christliche Gemeinde Olching e. V. (Olching) *CVJM Ortsgruppe Olching (Olching) *Ev. Pfarramt I (Olching) *Kath. Kindergarten St. Elisabeth (Olching) *Kath. Pfarramt Esting (Olching) *Kindergarten (Olching Wolfstrasse) *Kloster der Franziskanerinnen (Olching) *Kolpingfamilie (Olching) *Missionskreis Maria Mater Dei e. V. (Olching) *Pfarrgemeinderat St. Peter und Paul (Olching) *Türkisch-Islamischer Verein Fürstenfeldbruck und Umgebung (Olching) *Vincentiusverein (Olching)

Education

Primary and secondary education

The main schools in Olching are *''Grundschule Olching'' (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

), *''Grundschule Graßlfing'' (

), *''Grund- und Hauptschule Esting'' (

and

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

), *''

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

Grund- und Hauptschule'' (

and

), *''Gymnasium Olching'' (

), and the *''Hauptschule an der Heckenstraße'' (

Others

Other educational establishments in Olching include * ''

Volkshochschule Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and ...

Olching'', (mainly) adult education and evening classes in all fields * ''3klang GmbH - Musikschule aus Olching * ''Ev. Bildungswerk im Landkreis'' (''Pfarramt Olching''), Evangelical Church education centre * ''Musikschule Olching und Esting'', Music School

Economy

Olching has two larger business parks: One larger in the north called ''Gewerbepark Geiselbullach'' and another in the south along the ''Johann-G.-Gutenberg Straße.'' In Geiselbullach there are many logistics companies including a warehouse from Amazon Logistics. In Olching are multiple solar power plants and a waste incineration plant which provides electric power and district heating to Olching an surrounding municipalities.

Leisure

Sports clubs

Olching is well known for its motorcycle speedway club and track, MSC Olching and the Olching Speedwaybahn. It hosts a number of events, including international

motorcycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-engine displacement, displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in ...

events, including the finals of the 1972 Speedway World Team Cup and the 1981 Speedway World Team Cup. Olching is also known for its attractive golf course which lies between Olching and ''Geiselbullach''. There are also championship—and leisure—minigolf courses located at separate, neighbouring clubs. There are also a number of sports clubs, including ''SC Olching'',SColching.de
/ref> ''SV Esting'', and the ''TSV Geiselbullach''.

Natural recreation areas and leisure facilities

Furthermore, the river

, its backwater ''Mühlbach'' and the local bird-park Vogelpark Olching, open spring to autumn, offer idyllic walks and views to locals and visitors. Nearby is the ''Schuttberg''; (rubble-hill), a little hill between Olching and Esting (situated next to the ''Tony-März-Stadion'', the home ground of ''SC Olching''). Nowadays this mound is a popular spot for children, teenagers and adults alike for town-centre sledging during the winter. Right next to the ''Schuttberg'' is the ''Volksfestplatz'', (a fairground), a site which acts in the off-season as a cycle practice range, incorporates a

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performanc ...

training area, has a small skate-park and hosts monthly flea-markets throughout the summer. It is most popular, however, when it is used for the ''Olchinger Volksfest'', which is Olching's very own

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

in May/June. A further popular spot is the ''Olchinger See'', which is a picturesque lake that attracts plenty of visitors from the surrounding area. In 2024 construction work for a

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

in the norther business park began. Olching has a communal indoor swimming pool, two minigolf courses, a large golf course and a bowling centre.

KOM Kulturwerkstatt am Olchinger Mühlbach

A listed building originating from 1877 that was sympathetically renovated and opened in 2004 for cultural events of all sorts. Located at the western end of the ''Hauptstrasse'', its various intimate rooms are used for exhibitions, chamber and classical music performances, and seminars and meetings by various Olching clubs.

Events

Carnival Parade; ''Faschingsumzug''

The carnival parade (''Faschingsumzug'') takes place annually on Shrove Tuesday at 2:00 pm and has a long tradition in Olching. The first procession was organised by the so-called young farmers' club ( ''Burschenverein'') in 1923. Between 1938 and 1952, these parades were suspended due to the political environment and other factors such as

. It was only in 1953 when six masked men—three of them musicians—took to the streets on ''Faschingsdienstag'' that this tradition was reinstated on a regular basis. The procession grew ever bigger due to the involvement of local clubs and groups. Over the course of time, the procession in Olching has become the largest in

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat of the district gove ...

. Since 1953 it has only been cancelled on three occasions: In 1962 as a mark of respect for the victims of the catastrophic surge-tide in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

; in 1990 due to a hurricane-force storm called ''Wiebke''; and in 1991 due to the first

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. Over the following years as many as 30,000–40,000 spectators have attended this

spectacle In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French ''spectacle'', itself a reflection of the ...

regularly in the hope of catching a handful of sweets that are thrown from the floats for the children and to laugh at the politically and satirically themed floats as the procession moves down the High Street (''Hauptstrasse'') in Olching.

Easter Fire; ''Osterfeuer''

A tradition that is more widespread in northern and central parts of Germany, the Easter Fire, (Ger.), is also traditionally celebrated in Olching on the town's fairground (see below), the so-called ''Volksfestplatz''. A large bonfire is lit after dusk on

Easter Saturday Easter Saturday, on the Christian calendar, is the seventh day of Eastertide, being the Saturday of Easter or Bright Week. In the kalendar of Western Christianity it is the last day of Easter Week, sometimes referred to as the Saturday o ...

. Spectators of the event can also browse the numerous stalls while the Olching volunteer fire brigade ''Freiwillige Feuerwehr'' manage the fire. There is also an unofficial competition between neighboring communities and families, (typically in more rural areas) to see who can set up the largest fire. This is done to dispose of superfluous wood (including remaining Christmas trees) while earning donations for local charitable groups and organizations. The origin of this festival in

is a mixture of

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

celebrations intended to drive away the winter and its evils, and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

beliefs (another name for this celebration in parts of

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

is '' Judasfeuer'' (literally: Judas fire)).

Fair; ''Volksfest''

The

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

(''Volksfest'') in Olching takes place annually during the second holiday week of

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the H ...

(''Pfingsten''). The fair consists of rides, stalls, food and entertainment, and a large beer tent, which are set up on the ''Volksfestplatz'' (fairground). There are various themed events in the beer tent, including a regional boxing ''fight night''. The community organises a broad range of events during the festival, including a popular large

firework display Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

, usually on the first Monday of the fair. The day of Corpus Christi is usually a raceday, which takes place at the ''Speedwaybahn'' as part of the festivities.

Notable people

* Roman Neumayer (c. 1930–2015), ice hockey executive, coach and player, lived and died here *

Martin Smolinski Martin Smolinski (born 6 December 1984) is a German motorcycle speedway rider. He is three-times world longtrack champion and eight times champion of Germany. Personal life Smolinski was born on 6 December 1984 in Munich, West Germany. He is ...

, is a German international

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

and

Grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in t ...

rider who has represented the German speedway team at senior level. He is a former World Long Track champion and European Grasstrack champion

Twin towns – sister cities

Olching is twinned with: *

Feurs Feurs (; ) is a commune in the department of Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. History Antiquity The city was founded by the Romans. The name ''Feurs'' is a contraction of ''Forum Segusiavorum'', in reference to the forum of the Gallo-Ro ...

, France *

Tuchola Tuchola (; ) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. The Pomeranian town, which is the seat of Tuchola County, had a population of 13,418 . Geographical location Tuchola lies about north of Bydgoszcz, close to th ...

, Poland

References

The initial text content of this site is based upon the German language Wikipedia entry for Olching, Olching in German Wikipedia

External links

Homepage of the Gemeinde Olching''Gymnasium Olching''''Grundschule Graßlfing''Olching''Golfclub-olching.deSC OlchingTSV GeiselbullachSV Esting News
* Olching ("Oiching") in the Bavarian Wikipedia {{Authority control Fürstenfeldbruck (district)