Theresienwiese (Therese’s meadow) is a flat, tree-lined area covering approximately 42 hectares located near Munich’s city center. For a little over two weeks each year, it hosts Oktoberfest, a festival modeled after a public celebration first held from October 12 to 17, 1810, in honor of the wedding of Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (hence the festival grounds’ name) to Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who would later ascend to the throne as King Ludwig I of Bavaria. This first event included horse races in the meadows just outside the city and was repeated in the following two years by the Bavarian Agricultural Association in the form of an agricultural fair featuring horse races and cattle shows. The fair also served as a platform for promoting innovation and industrialization in Bavaria. From 1814 onward, Oktoberfest became a regular fixture in Munich’s event calendar, growing larger over time.
