German National Turnfest
Frankfurt 2009
May 30 to June 5

The official website for the Turnfest is www.turnfest.de.  In the past there was no English translation of this website and we do not expect anything different this time.  If you do a Google search for turnfest+2009, you will get it and many more Turnfest websites most of which Google can translate automatically into English.  These translations are not always exact, but good enough to give you the basic idea of what the article is about.  With less than a year to go, the website has already grown very large with many topics and photos.

The city of Frankfurt has its own website www.frankfurt.de which is worth visiting and they provide the English translation when you click on the British flag near the top of the page.  Frankfurt is a hub city for many airlines and has a light rail connection to the city.  You can learn all about it and much more at their website. 

Some American Turners have attended the Turnfests in Germany either independently or with an organized group.  Since the Turnfest in Hamburg in 1994, members of the New York District have organized a group to attend and compete in various athletic events.  This group is once again gathering for Frankfurt under the able and energetic leadership of Annette Asmus.    The Turnfest is more than a year away and plans to attend are only starting to develop.  If you are interested in attending the Turnfest with a group from the New York District, just send us an email.  Please mention if you are interested in remaining with the group for the second week.  We will keep you informed of the developments.

Being with a group does have advantages.  We get a break on the price of rooms and travel passes.  There are many in the group fluent in German, so it is not necessary to speak or read the language to get along.  Even if you get lost, you will not need to go far before finding someone who speaks English.

If your interest is athletic competition, you can find any level from Olympian on down in the familiar Turner events.  Volleyball, Gymnastics, Track & Field and Swimming are among the events we normally enter, but there are many, many more events that take place all over the city which will interest any Turner.  Most all athletic events are divided into gender and age groups.   Besides competition, there are many other attractions;  Parades, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Fun Fitness Tests, Exhibitions and parties are all part of the usual things we do as a group.  The Turnfest lasts about a week, so there is still time for individual or collective sightseeing or whatever else you want to do there. 

In the past, it was the custom of the American Turners attending the Turnfest to remain in Europe for an extra week.  In 2005 we took a cruise around the Baltic visiting the coastal cities of Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Visby.  Plans are yet to be made for 2009, but there is an inclination to cruise the Mediterranean.  As the plans become more of a reality, we will update the itinerary here.

Check out the other German Turnfests in our Festivals section for a better idea of what to expect.