When I think of the villages that form the municipality of Zellertal, the first words that come to mind are enchanting and quaint. There are three villages that make up this area in the Donnersbergkreis district: Zell, Harxheim and Niefernheim.

The Festival

Zellertal is in the Palatinate wine region, bordering the Rhenish Hesse wine region. Add all of those things together and toss in some art and food and you have yourself a festival. More specifically, you have the Enchanting Zellertal Arts and Wine Market.

This festival focuses on wine from the region while artists and craftsmen bring their skills to display in the yards and streets of Harxheim.

We visited this festival on a Sunday at the end of June ~ just in time for a lunch of Currywurst and vino. I am not sure if I will ever pair these two anywhere else, but in Germany; it just seems to make sense. It could also explain the 10 pounds I have gained since moving here 2 years ago.

What to Expect

The region is one of my favorites because of the breathtaking views. It was not much different from other small village markets ~ food, drinks, vendors of all types, lively music, etc.

There seemed to be very few Americans at this festival (which is sometimes a good thing) and we immersed ourselves in speaking very broken German with the locals, soaking up some culture and enjoying the opportunity to be blessed enough to live where we live.

Lucky for us, the weather was one of those perfect German summer days – not too hot but lots of sunshine. Everyone, including us, was in a very festive mood.

We shopped for yard ornaments and finally settled on an interesting ceramic garden worm that we lovingly named “Chad”, who will be with us for many years to come.

My daughter, after an hour of walking between booths, decided to take home this unique craft. There really was something for everyone!

One of the things that we love most about living in Germany is the small markets that take place in villages that we might not even know exist. Some of our most treasured memories come from these days.

How to Get There

Zellertal is approximately 35 minutes northeast of Kaiserslautern, 50 minutes south of Wiesbaden and 1 hour and 50 minutes northwest of Stuttgart. Click on DB Bahn for train information.

Author’s Profile: Cheryl Koller is a native of Georgia. She is a DOD spouse, mom of 4 daughters (2 adults, 2 teens), thrill-seeker, avid traveler, and lover of food and wine. She is a self-proclaimed Freedom-Preneur and Blogger currently living in Ramstein with her family.

Featured Image Photo Credit: © Cheryl Koller