Rottweil Fasnet

Rottweil's Fasnet, documented since the fifteenth century, belongs to the Swabian-Alemannic carnival tradition, distinct from the costume-float carnivals of the Rhineland. Its Narrensprung procession begins at exactly 8am on Fasnet Monday, led by carved wooden mask characters including the Federahannes, the bell-hung Gschell and the horse-and-rider Bennerrossle, each passed down through specific families and guilds.

Rottweil's Fasnet is first documented in the fifteenth century, with an early reference to 1310 cited by some local sources, and the earliest records describe three core elements that still structure the festival today: the Narrentanz, or fools' dance, which continues in the modern Narrensprung procession; a speech delivered by a carnival character; and, until the custom lapsed around 1800, the fetching of gingerbread from the nearby Rottenmunster monastery.