D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 1

Event Staged: Sunday 15th April 1973
Venue: Eisstadion (Ice Stadium), Altenau im Oberharz, Niedersachsen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 15th April 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Hans Ebersberger, Gerd Siepe and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Not applicable as event was staged indoors

Theme: Umzug in ein Neues Haus: Nur Arbeit und Kein Vergnügen
(Moving to a New House: All Work and No Play)

Teams: Altenau im Oberharz v. Heiligenhafen

Team Members included:
Altenau im Oberharz - Manfred Schultz (Team Coach), Jochen Heinrich;
Heiligenhafen - Rheinhold Timm (Team Captain), Dieter Hopf (Team Captain), Peter Kopse, Peter Rheinicker.

Games: The Alarm Clocks, Pillow Walk, Collecting the Coal, Cleaning the Windows, The Furniture Removers, Hanging the Curtains, Replenishing the Bookcase, Laying the Carpet, Don’t Just Sit There Watching the Television, Help Me Move the Furniture, The Giant Paint Pads.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 H • Heiligenhafen ● ●
 A • Altenau im Oberharz

16
8

Heiligenhafen qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Heiligenhafen, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 29th August 1973

The Host Town

Alternau im Oberharz, Niedersachsen

Altenau im Oberharz is a town and health resort with a population of around 2,000 inhabitants in the state of Niedersachsen. It is located on the 129km (80 miles) long River Oker, 13km (8 miles) south of Goslar, 19km (12 miles) north of Bad Lauterberg, 24km (15 miles) west of Wernigerode and 40km (25 miles) east of Einbeck. Twelve kilometres (7½ miles) to the east of the town is the summit of the 1,141m (3,743ft) high Brocken and 10km (6 miles) to the west is the university town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld.

The town owes its name to the stream Alte Aue or Altenah, which takes up the water coming from the Lilierkopf and continues through the Tischlertal. During the Middle Ages, the town gained importance with the mining of silver. The mining industry flourished, and soon the Bergstadt (mining-town) of Altenau im Oberharz operated twenty principal plants. The town is characterised by old miners' houses from the time when it was a free mountain town. Today, Altenau im Oberharz is famous for its tourism, mainly due to its idyllic location in the middle of the Harz mountains and its leisure facilities, such as numerous hiking trails and cross-country trails, in addition to the many lakes that invite visitors to swim in summer.

From 1914 to 1970, the numbers of spa guests and overnight stays increased steadily, 30% of which were accounted for by health care providers and 70% by private landlords. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the region has suffered from a decline in tourist numbers, caused by a wide range of causes. Very high costs were incurred by the municipality of Oberharz every year through the operation of the Aqua-Polaris complex, consisting of a wave pool and ice sports hall, built in the 1970s and adapted to the high tourist numbers of the 1970s and 1980s.

Typical for the region is the use of wood as a building material. In the village is the relatively small wooden church of St. Nikolai, which was built in the 17th century. The houses have been adapted to the hard winters from time immemorial and have an architectural style typical of the region.

Altenau im Oberharz received city rights in 1617 and from 1972 to 2014, the Bergstadt Altenau belonged to the municipality of Oberharz. On 1st January 2015, the towns of Altenau and Schulenberg were merged and since then has been known as Altenau-Schulenberg in Oberharz.

In 2004, the largest herb park in Germany was opened in the town. Many thousands of tourists visit the botanical garden, which is cultivated all year, and displays a full-range of all varieties. Since then the town has become inundated by a growing number of ‘herbivores’ popping up around the town. These new ‘locals’ comprise of mounds of earth moulded into characters, covered with vegetation and topped with ceramic pots caricatured with smiling faces.

The Visiting Town

Heiligenhafen is a town with a population of around 10,000 inhabitants in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and is located 288km (179 miles) north-east of Altenau im Oberharz.

The Venue

Eisstadion

The games were played on the small indoor rink at the local ice stadium. Unfortunately there is very little information that can be researched on the venue at present.

However, what is known is that the Eisstadion Altenau belonged to the Aqua Polaris Group and closed its doors for the final time at the end of the 2006/07 winter season on 31st March 2007.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Alarm Clocks
(Die Wecker)

The first game - ‘The Alarm Clocks’ (Die Wecker) - was played in unison over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a female competitor from each team laying in a giant bed above which sixteen alarm clocks with ‘shut-off’ cords were hanging. On the whistle, incidental alarm clock sounds were played and the competitor had to stand on the bed and jump up in order to pull on the each of the cords and, in theory, ‘silence’ the alarms. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game with Heiligenhafen pulling all sixteen cords in just 38 seconds.

Game 2 - Pillow Walk
(Kissen Gehen)

The second game - ‘Pillow Walk’ (Kissen Gehen) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and featured three male competitors from each team with their ankles and wrists manacled to large bamboo canes set in an ‘X’ shape and running down the back of their trouser legs. On the whistle, each of the first two competitors had to kick two small conjoined cushions down the 25m (82ft) course. Their task was made somewhat difficult due to their arms being raised above their heads and the movement of their feet being limited due to being attached to the canes. At the end of the course, the cushions had to be kicked onto a large sheet. Once both competitors had completed their task, the third competitor would then be released to set off down the course in the same manner but with a single larger cushion. Once all three cushions had been kicked on the sheet, two female team-mates then had to lift the sheet and contents into a large container. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was another straightforward game which saw Heiligenhafen get the better start and the first of their two competitors completed his run after 39 seconds of elapsed time. Not to be outdone, the two competitors from Altenau im Oberharz completed their runs after 50 seconds and 53 seconds, respectively. Whilst their third competitor was given the signal to start by the referees, the second competitor from Heiligenhafen completed his run after 57 seconds. With both teams now on their final runs, it was a straight race. Heiligenhafen gradually closed the deficit and overtook Altenau im Oberharz and completed the game in 1 minute 36 seconds, two seconds ahead of their rivals.

Game 3 - Collecting the Coal
(Sammeln der Kohle)

The third game - ‘Collecting the Coal’ (Sammeln der Kohle) - was played individually over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team standing in a small enclosed area and equipped with a large coal scuttle on wheels. On the whistle, an opposition male team member standing on the back of a delivery truck had to shovel coal down one of three chutes which descended into the playing area. The competitor then had to predict which chute the coal would descend and move the scuttle to its base in order to collect the coal. The opposition then had to continue to shovel coal, alternating the chutes throughout, whilst the competitor moved the scuttle from chute to chute. A male team-mate would assist the competitor by sweeping any loose coal which had tumbled on to the floor of the playing area. Once the scuttle became too heavy to move, the competitor could utilise a second scuttle to continue his essay. At the end of the two heats, the two scuttles would be weighed together with any coal that remained on the opposition’s truck and chutes. The team collecting the greater aggregate amount of coal would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple but ingenious game saw the participation of Heiligenhafen and their competitor worked at an astounding pace trying to second guess the chute that the opposition would utilise. At the end of permitted time he had collected 49kg (in scuttle 1) + 60.5kg (in scuttle 2 and remainder on opposition truck), giving an aggregate total of 109.5kg (241lb 6oz) of coal.

The second heat featured Altenau im Oberharz and it appeared that their competitor was less agile and his steering skills were much poorer as he continually crashed into the bases of the chutes. However, at the end of the game, he had collected 53kg (in scuttle 1) + 62kg (in scuttle 2 and remainder on opposition truck), giving an aggregate total of 115kg (253lb 8oz) of coal.

Game 4 - Cleaning the Windows
(Reinigung der Fenster)

The fourth game - ‘Cleaning the Windows’ (Reinigung der Fenster) - was played individually over one minute duration and featured two female competitors from each team equipped with a total of 56 plastic pouches filled with water standing on a red carpet. In opposition was a male team member equipped with a broom standing in front of four windows, each comprising ten paper panes. On the whistle, the two competitors had to throw the water pouches at the windows to break the panes whilst the opposition had to stop their attack utilising the broom. The team with the greater number of ‘broken’ panes would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Heiligenhafen with Altenau im Oberharz in opposition and they were able to break 15 panes from 52 throws.

The second heat featured Altenau im Oberharz with Heiligenhafen in opposition and they could only break 11 panes from 48 throws.

Game 5 - The Furniture Removers
(Die Möbelentferner)

The fifth game - ‘The Furniture Removers’ (Die Möbelentferner) - was played in unison over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team and five items of furniture - a storage chest, a milking stool, a two-seater sofa, a chair and a table. On the whistle, the first competitor had to get down on his hands and knees and transport one of the items of furniture up the 50m (164ft) course. Once completed, the second competitor had to begin his run and then the game was repeated until all five items had been transported to the end of the course. Competitors were not able to touch or steady the furniture whilst in motion and if any part of the item fell off or touched the ground, they would have to return to the start. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game, but nevertheless, enjoyable to watch. Altenau im Oberharz set off with the milking stool on their first run and completed it in just 10 seconds and completed their second run with the table after 20 seconds of elapsed time. Contemporaneously, Heiligenhafen opted to start with the heavier and more bulky storage chest but failed to get to the halfway mark before they suffered a mishap and had to return to the start. Their second competitor was more fortunate and completed his run with the table after 29 seconds. With Altenau im Oberharz cautiously moving down the course on their third run with the sofa, Heiligenhafen completed their second run with the storage chest after 59 seconds. By this time, Altenau im Oberharz were almost at the end of their third run and completed it after 1 minute 11 seconds. Heiligenhafen had already begun their third run with the stool and quickly completed it after 1 minute 29 seconds. Both teams were now on their fourth runs - Altenau im Oberharz with the storage chest and Heiligenhafen with the sofa, with the former having a 15-second advantage and with the easier item to carry. However, with just a few metres from the finish line, Altenau im Oberharz suffered a mishap and had to return to the start. With Heiligenhafen now in a surprising lead, Altenau im Oberharz began the fourth run again but this time with the chair and again suffered the same misfortune. Whilst they restarted the run for a third time, on this occasion with the chest, Heiligenhafen were completing their fourth run after 2 minutes 32 seconds. Although Altenau im Oberharz completed their fourth run after 2 minutes 51 seconds, it was now lost cause as Heiligenhafen were already halfway down the course on their final run, and only a disaster could stop them from winning the game. The visiting team held their nerve and completed the game in 2 minutes 58 seconds.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The City Bankers
(Die Stadtbankiers)

There was a short break from the main programme whilst a small mini-contest - ‘The City Bankers’ (Die Stadtbankiers) - was contested by the two teams to raise a maximum 3,000 Deutsche Mark (approximately £425 in 1973) in cash for their respective town’s underprivileged children. Played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration, it featured two blindfolded male competitors from each team (one of which was the team coach) attired as city bankers, wearing large caricatured heads, and a carousel with 12 individual compartments - six valued at 100 Deutsche Mark, two valued at 200 Deutsche Mark and one each valued at 300, 400, 500 and 800 Deutsche Mark, respectively. On the whistle, whilst one of the referees rotated the carousel manually, each competitor had to make his way into one of the compartments and then to the centre where a sack containing a large coin (to the value of that compartment) was located. After collecting the coin, he then had to exit the compartment and make his way to a perimeter fence which he had to use to edge his way back to the start where a large piggy bank as located. After depositing the coin in the coin slot, the game was then repeated throughout and the total amount collected by each team was then converted into cash and presented to each of their respective mayors. To ensure that the teams did not inadvertently put the coins in the incorrect piggy bank, the coins slots on each were different, with one having raised edges and the other being flat.

This was a very straightforward game which ended with Altenau im Oberharz collecting six coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 500, 1 x 400, 1 x 200 and 2 x 100 = 2,100 Deutsche Mark (approximately £298 at time of recording) whilst Heiligenhafen also collected six coins - 1 x 300, 1 x 200 and 4 x 100 = 900 Deutsche Mark (approximately £127).

Comparative value in 2020: £298 = £2,520 whilst £127 = £1,074.

Game 6 - Hanging the Curtains
(Die Vorhänge Aufhängen)

The sixth game - ‘Hanging the Curtains’ (Die Vorhänge Aufhängen) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured three male competitors from each team adjacent to each other, the outside two having a large bucket attached to each foot, and a course comprising 68 similar sized buckets (in four lines of seventeen). On the whistle, the middle (unfettered) competitor had to lift a rail, with a set of curtains attached at each end, above his head and into the raised arms of the other two competitors. The three of them then had to traverse the course, with the outside competitors stepping into, and collecting, each of the buckets as they went, resulting in them ‘growing taller’. The middle competitor would be able to assist if any of the buckets were knocked down but the rail had to be held aloft at all times by the other two. Once each competitor had a total of 18 buckets on each foot (including the original), the team had to walk a further 10m (32ft 9¾in) to a set of windows and then hang the rail on hooks to finish. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple, straightforward and uneventful game which saw Heiligenhafen complete a flawless performance in 1 minute 53 seconds. Following a few minor mishaps along the course, Altenau im Oberharz finished the game in 2 minutes 1 second.

Game 7 - Replenishing the Bookcase
(Nachfüllen des Bücherregal)

The seventh game - ‘Replenishing the Bookcase’ (Nachfüllen des Bücherregal) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and witnessed Altenau im Oberharz presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two female competitors from each team and 60 large leather-bound tomes. On the whistle, each competitor had to transport three tomes on their head and another in each hand and then traverse a 20m (65ft 7½in) course comprising a high hurdle which they had to pass under. After reaching the end of the course, they had to place the tomes on a large bookcase and then return to the start to repeat the game. If any of the tomes fell to the ground whilst in transit, the competitor had to return to the start. The team with the greater number of tomes on the shelves would be declared the winners.

Although this was another straightforward game with minimal mishaps, neither team were able to complete the game within the permitted time and the result was declared as Altenau im Oberharz having placed a total of 42 tomes on the bookcase opposed to 25 tomes by Heiligenhafen.

Game 8 - Laying the Carpet
(Verlegen des Teppichs)

The eighth game - ‘Laying the Carpet’ (Verlegen des Teppichs) - was played individually over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team and a 30m (98ft 5¼in) long unfurled carpet. Before the game started the competitor had to climb inside the carpet and, on the whistle, he had to unfurl the carpet by rolling up the course. Contemporaneously, a female opposition member had to place seven household items - two tomes, two small storage boxes, two vases and a standard lamp - along the unfurled carpet. After reaching the end of the course, the competitor then had to play the game in reverse and roll the carpet but whilst doing so had to remove the furniture items hindering his path. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Heiligenhafen, with Altenau im Oberharz in opposition, and although their competitor reached the end of the course after 19 seconds of elapsed time, he had failed to keep the carpet rolling in a straight line and had to get out and realign it with the course. On his return journey, which he commenced after 31 seconds, he failed to keep his weight level whilst rolling and this again resulted in him having to stand up and straighten his course on several occasions. However, despite the mishaps, Heiligenhafen completed the course in 1 minute 46 seconds which, after having had the advantage of observing their performance, appeared to be an easy target for the home team to emulate.

The second heat featured Altenau im Oberharz, with Heiligenhafen in opposition, and their competitor also reached the halfway mark after 19 seconds of elapsed time, but he had ensured to keep his weight level as he unfurled the carpet. After realigning the carpet slightly, he began his return journey after 26 seconds giving the team a five-second advantage over their rivals. However, halfway down the course, the carpet became entangled with one of the tomes and resulted in him veering off-course and also losing valuable seconds. At the end of the game, he again went off-course which resulted in the end of the carpet failing to roll up correctly and, although it appeared he had crossed the line after 1 minute 39 seconds and completed the game, the referees deemed that not all of it was over the line and he had to get back inside to correct his error, and eventually finished the game in 1 minute 52 seconds. 

Game 9 - Don’t Just Sit There Watching the Television,
Help Me Move the Furniture
(Sitzen Sie Nicht Einfach im Fernsehen,
Helfen Sie mir die Möbel Bewegen)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘Don’t Just Sit There Watching the Television, Help Me Move the Furniture’ (Sitzen Sie Nicht Einfach im Fernsehen, Helfen Sie mir die Möbel Bewegen) - was played individually over four minutes duration and featured twelve competitors (eleven males and one female) from each team and 21 foam-rubber household items - a television set, two foot stools, two chairs, two vases, two large tables, two small tables, a standard lamp, four tomes, four storage boxes and a two-seater sofa. Whilst the female and one of the males were standing at either end of the course, the other ten males were seated equidistantly behind each other on some of the household items. On the whistle, the female had to throw the television to the first male who then had to throw it backwards over his head to the second male who then had to throw it backwards over his head to the third male. This then had to repeated by the remainder of the males until it reached the end of the course. Contemporaneously, the female then had to pass the second item in the same manner followed by another nine items. Once she had exhausted the stock, the items being used by the males to sit on had to be passed backwards in the same manner until all 21 items had been collected at the end of the course. All the items then had to be stacked onto a four-wheeled trolley and pushed 5m (16ft 5in) to the finish line by the two standing competitors. Apart from the two at either end of the course, all other competitors had to remain seated at all times whilst competing and any item that fell to the ground or was passed in the incorrect manner had to be returned to the start and repeated. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Heiligenhafen and, despite a few errors, they passed all 21 items to the end of the course in 1 minute 55 seconds. After loading them onto the trolley and transporting them successfully without mishap across the finish line, they completed the course in 2 minutes 41 seconds.

The second heat featured Altenau im Oberharz and they passed all 21 items to the end of the course in 1 minute 49 seconds. After loading and transporting all the items without mishap across the finish line, they completed the course in 2 minutes 39 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Heiligenhafen (0pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Altenau im Oberharz (2pts / 8pts)

Comments: Although this was a simple and straightforward game, it was the highlight of the programme. Only the ingenious mind of game designer Willi Steinberg could contemplate such a wonderful idea and put it into practice. A delight to watch over and over again!

Game 10 - The Giant Paint Pads
(Die Riesigen Lackpads)

The tenth and final game - ‘The Giant Paint Pads’ (Die Riesigen Lackpads) - was played alternately over five rounds and witnessed Heiligenhafen presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors from each team (one male and one female) and a large polystyrene block attached to a long handle. On the whistle, the female had to kneel down on the paint pad and the male had to push it to a given point after which he had to release the pad and potential energy would send it towards the end of a graduated 50m (164ft) course, the first 20m (65ft 7½in) of which had been greased. The point along the course at which the pad came to rest would be recorded on each occasion. The team covering the greater aggregate distance over the five rounds would be declared the winners.

The first round of this straightforward game saw Altenau im Oberharz cover a distance of 18.2m (59ft 8½in) whilst Heiligenhafen covered 27.7m (90ft 10½in).

The second round saw Altenau im Oberharz cover a further 26.3m (86ft 3½in) and Heiligenhafen 25.8m (84ft 7¾in).

The third round saw Altenau im Oberharz travel 16m (52ft 6in) up the course whilst Heiligenhafen travelled 20.7m (67ft 11in).

The fourth and penultimate round saw Altenau im Oberharz traverse 19.1m (62ft 8in) of the course and Heiligenhafen 20.8m (68ft 3in).

With Altenau im Oberharz already trailing Heiligenhafen by 15.4m (50ft 6¼in) at this point, it would require somewhat of a miracle to turn the game around in their favour. However, the fifth and final round proved that the deficit was too great and Altenau im Oberharz could only cover a further 14.5m (47ft 6¾in), which gave them an aggregate total to 94.1m (308ft 8¾in) whilst Heiligenhafen covered 21.4m (70ft 2½in) and gave them an aggregate total of 116.4m (381ft 10¾in).

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Heiligenhafen (4pts awarded / Joker / 16pts total) 2nd Altenau im Oberharz (0pts / 8pts)

Additional Information

After six years of Spiel Ohne Grenzen being staged on Saturday afternoons, West German broadcaster WDR changed its schedule and began staging and transmitting their Domestic series on Sundays. This change would also see the first occasion that two of the main Jeux Sans Frontières broadcasters (WDR and BBC) staged programmes (in this case their Domestic series) on the same day and some at the same time (albeit just overlapping each other for a short period of time, due to the one hour time difference between the two countries). However, this change would only last for two years, after which time WDR reverted back to its original Saturday slot in the schedules in 1975, and this would then be the norm for the remainder of its participation in the programme.

The team colours for this year’s series saw the continuation of the trend introduced in 1972, with the home team donning orange outfits and the visiting team donning light blue outfits.

Interestingly, although all the games in this heat were played on the ice rink itself, none were actually played on ice. The rink had been thawed and drained beforehand and the games were played on the solid surface of the underlying floor of the building.

During the next three years, the winner of each Domestic Heat was not necessarily assigned to the same numbered International Heat (as had been the norm since 1967). The winner of this first heat, Heiligenhafen, went on to host the West German International Heat, staged as the seventh in the series!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 2

Event Staged: Sunday 22nd April 1973
Venue: Traischbachstadion (Traischbach Stadium), Gaggenau,
Baden-Württemberg, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Easter Sunday 22nd April 1973, 3.55-5.10pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Hans Ebersberger, Peter Hochrath and Gerd Siepe

Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny

Theme: In Russland (In Russia)

Teams: Ansbach v. Gaggenau

Team Members included:
Ansbach - Hans Zeger (Team Coach), Horst Goppelt, Erik Grau, Klaus Muller;
Gaggenau - Hans Spitzchan (Team Coach), Manfred Schick, Joachim Schneider.

Games: The Russian Sailors, The Samovar, The Russian Dolls and the Caviar, The Russian Eggs, The Vodka Drinkers, The Balalaika Music, Sleigh Ride, Rasputin the Mad Monk, Russian Roulette, The Chess Pieces.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 A • Ansbach ● ●
 G • Gaggenau

14
10

Ansbach qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bellinzona, Switzerland:
staged on Wednesday 20th June 1973

The Host Town

Gaggenau, Baden-Württemberg

Gaggenau is a town with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on 80km long Murg river, 8km (5 miles) north-east of Baden-Baden, 24km (15 miles) south of Karlsruhe, 64km (40 miles) west of Stuttgart and 84km (52 miles) north of Villingen-Schwenningen.

Gaggenau was first mentioned in local records in 1243 under the name ‘Gaggenaw’ and remained a small village until the 19th century. Originally part of the Ufgau (a historical county of the duchy of Franconia), it came under the jurisdiction of the marquisite of Baden in the 13th century, and was included in the territory claimed by the Margrave of Baden-Baden in 1535, which held it until 1689. In 1691, the area was at the heart of the Palatinate War of Succession or Nine Years’ War (1688-1697) and was almost completely destroyed by the French forces. In 1772, Anton Rindeschwender (1725-1802) established a successful glassworks factory below the village and along with it a number of new residences and supporting businesses in the area.

The real industrial boom began in 1873 with the establishment of the Michael Flürscheims Ironworks, which resurrected an iron smelter originally established by the Margrave of Baden in the late 18th century. In 1895, the factory built the 5-hp automobile Orient Express and entered the new industry of automobile manufacture. In 1905, they renamed themselves the Gaggenau Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik GmbH (South German Automobile Factory). In 1907, the company was taken over by the company Benz & Cie of Mannheim until the merger of Daimler-Benz AG in 1926. Thus, the settlement grew, and Gaggenau was eventually raised to the status of a town on 15th September 1922 because of its economic prosperity.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), about 70% of the town was destroyed. On 10th September 1944, 140 B-17 bombers from the 8th battalion of the US Air Force bombed the automobile factory complex. Another battalion of 139 B-24 bombers bombed the area for a second time on 3rd October.

The town and surrounding area was rebuilt after the war, and was completed with the construction of Gaggenau's Town Hall in 1958. In 1969, in response to an effort to aggregate and consolidate municipal governments into districts of 20,000 or more, the state government of Baden-Württemberg approved a petition by the town of Gaggenau to annex six of its surrounding communities, thereby doubling the town's population and increasing its area fivefold. Amongst the areas annexed were the former municipality of Rotenfels and the large swath of forest that ran along the Murg river between the two municipalities. The annexations were performed over a period of six years. The town of Gaggenau today comprises the town of Gaggenau itself and the eight subdivisions of Bad Rotenfals, Freiolsheim, Hörden, Michelbach, Oberweier, Ottenau, Selbach and Sulzbach.

The district of Bad Rotenfels has a number of historic buildings. The Baroque Catholic parish church of St. Lawrence was originally built between 1752 and 1766 by Ignaz Franz Krohmer (1714-1789). The church was the first parish in the Murg Valley and is therefore known as the mother church of the Murg. The current church building is actually the third version built, the most recent in the mid-1800s. During a 1902-1903 renovation, the facade of the church was updated with a neo-baroque facade.

Bad Rotenfels is also the home of the world-famous Rotenfels spa, built on top of the hot springs. The spa hosts thousands of visitors from around the world to enjoy its waters. The district also includes the Rotenfels Castle Academy, which is housed in the buildings and grounds of the former Rotenfels stoneware factory. The factory, built around 1801, housed a stoneware (porcelain) manufacturing plant until 1816. In 1818, Margrave Wilhelm of Baden (1792-1859) decided to turn the property into a country chateau. From 1818 to 1827, the building was redesigned by Friedrich Weinbrenner (1766-1826) into a prestigious building in classical portico style. It remained a country residence until the 1970s, when the Academy purchased the building for its use.

The Visiting Town

Ansbach is a town with a population of around 42,000 inhabitants in the state of Bayern and is located 174km (108 miles) north-east of Gaggenau.

The Venue

Traischbachstadion

The games were played at Traischbachstadion which holds 10,000 spectators, including 2,000 in covered seating. It is today the home ground of local football club VFB Gaggenau (official name Verein für Breiten und Freizeitsport, Leichtathletik und Ballspiele Gaggenau 2001 e.V.).

Verein für Bewegungsspiele Gaggenau (or VfB Gaggenau 1911 e.V.) was originally founded on 27th July 1911. However, in 1946, the military authorities dissolved the club. Not to be outdone, members of TB Gaggenau and Ski Club Gaggenau got together and formed a new club called SV Gaggenau. On 5th August 1950, this club was renamed VfB Gaggenau.

Due to insolvency, VfB Gaggenau was dissolved in the early spring of 2001, but very quickly refounded on 17th April as VFB Gaggenau. In 2013, the club was close to a merger with Türkiyemspor Selbach, but failed because neither could agree on a common name.

The football team had its most successful time in the late 1990s, when the club played for several years in the highest amateur football leagues in Germany. After the re-establishment as VFB Gaggenau, the team has played mostly in the national league. After relegation from the national league in 2014 and then from the district league in 2016, the club now play their games in the Baden-Baden Nord county league.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Russian Sailors
(Die Russischen Matrosen)

The first game - ‘The Russian Sailors’ (Die Russischen Matrosen) - was played individually over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured six male competitors from each team and a large galleon on wheels. Each of the competitors was holding a rope which was attached to either one of the sides or the bow of the galleon. On the whistle, the competitors had to pull the vessel down a 25m (82ft) obstacle course and negotiate four ski-gates (large flat boxes) located in designated marked areas. Once completed, they then had to turn it around and negotiate the course in the opposite direction. After reaching the original start line, they then had to turn the vessel around once more and the pull it down the outside of the course and finally turn it around for a final time and pull it back the other side. A penalty of 10 seconds would be incurred if any of the ski-gates was moved entirely out of its designated area by the vessel. The team completing the game in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple, but strength-sapping, game saw the participation of Gaggenau and they completed the course in 3 minutes 5 seconds. However, they were penalised for removing the starting gate as they crossed the finish line and incurred an additional 10 seconds bringing their overall time to 3 minutes 15 seconds.

The second heat featured Ansbach and they were faster in their execution and incurred no penalties, finishing the game in 2 minutes 54 seconds.

Game 2 - The Samovar
(Der Samowar)

The second game - ‘The Samovar’ (Der Samowar) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured four female competitors from each team equipped with two large wooden boards standing adjacent to a large samovar. On the whistle, two of the competitors had to raise one of the boards above their heads whilst a male team-mate filled three large vases of water from the samovar and placed them onto the board. The competitors then had to traverse a 25m (82ft) course, at the end of which was a female team-mate who had to remove the vases and empty their contents into a large Perspex container. She then had to place the empty vessels back onto the board and then the team had to return to the start in the same manner. Contemporaneously, the second pair of the competitors would prepare themselves to repeat the game once their three vases had been placed on top of their board. The game then had to be repeated throughout. The vases could not be touched by the competitors and any vases that fell to the ground whilst in transit had to be repositioned by the female team-mate. The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which was completed without mishap by both of the teams. The result revealed that Gaggenau had emptied 21 vases and a total of 52cm (20½in) of water whilst Ansbach had emptied 22 vases and a total of 54cm (21¼in) of water.

Game 3 - The Russian Dolls and the Caviar
(Die Russischen Puppen und der Kaviar)

The third game - ‘The Russian Dolls and the Caviar’ (Die Russischen Puppen und der Kaviar) - was played individually over two minutes duration and witnessed Gaggenau presenting their Joker for play. The game featured four male competitors from each team inside ‘classic’ Russian dolls with only their arms protruding through small holes in the costumes. All four were standing equidistant along a 25m (82ft) course with the furthest three competitors equipped with a large bowl. At the start of the course, there was a male team-mate standing in front of a large table on which there was a tray containing ‘caviar’. On the whistle, the team-mate had to fill a similar-sized bowl with caviar and the first competitor inside the largest doll had to walk forward to the table. The bowl and contents had to be handed to the competitor and then he had to turn around and make his way back up the course to meet the second competitor. The second competitor then had to use his hands to feel for the full bowl and then carefully empty its contents into his. He then had to turn around and make his way to the third competitor and do likewise. The process was then repeated with the fourth competitor inside the smallest doll costume, who then had to turn around and make his way to the end of the course and empty the contents into a large container. Contemporaneously, the first competitor would commence his second essay and the game would be repeated throughout. The team collecting the greater amount of caviar would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Gaggenau and they made nine successful runs without mishap and collected 50.3kg (110lb 14¼oz) of caviar.

The second heat featured Ansbach and they made eight successful runs, also without mishap, but only collected 45kg (99lb 3¼oz) of caviar.

Game 4 - The Russian Eggs
(Die Russischen Eier)

The fourth game - ‘The Russian Eggs’ (Die Russishen Eier) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured four competitors (one male and three females) from each team and a large flexible trebuchet beam fixed to the ground by a weighted box. On the whistle, the male competitor had to pull down on the beam in order for the end to line up with the rear of a chicken perched on a tree trunk. One of the female competitors then had to place an egg (ball) into the mouth of the chicken. This would then roll down a chute and out of the chicken’s rear and into a bowl attached to the end of the beam. The male would then release the beam which would then hurl the egg up and over a 20m (65ft 7½in) course. At the end of the course, the other two females, each equipped with a small cloth bag attached to a rod, had to catch the eggs cleanly and then place them into a small basket. Each team had a maximum number of 25 eggs but any that fell to the ground at any point would not be counted. The team collecting the greater number of eggs would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which ended with Ansbach catching 17 eggs whilst Gaggenau could only catch 8 eggs.

Game 5 - The Vodka Drinkers
(Die Wodka-Trinker)

The fifth game - ‘The Vodka Drinkers’ (Die Wodka-Trinker) - was played individually over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured five male competitors from each team dressed as Cossacks and a large pivoted bottle of vodka (water) raised and lowered by a male team-mate. At the start of the game, one of the competitors was standing on a large wooden beam which was supported by an upright pole and protruded out from the centre of a large circle to a podium outside its perimeter. Attached to the base of the upright was another beam which was supported by a wheel which would turn on the circumference of the circle underneath and on which sat the other four competitors. On the whistle, the standing competitor had to collect a large vase from a pile and fill it with the water (vodka) from the bottle which would be raised and lowered by a male team-mate whilst all the other four pushed backwards with their feet to move their beam around the circle. Once full of water, the vase had to be carried out to the centre of the circle to be handed to the closest competitor on the moving beam as they passed underneath. Whilst the standing competitor returned to the bottle to collect another vase and fill it in the same manner, the other four competitors had to pass the vase along the line and place it onto a podium outside the circle. A female team-mate would then remove the vase and empty the contents into a large Perspex container. This process then had to be repeated. However, after the second vase had been handed to the female, she then had to hand back the first emptied vase for the competitors to pass back into the centre of the circle. When the third full vase was handed over by the standing competitor, he then had to collect the empty vase to refill. This then had to be repeated throughout the game. The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple but ingenious game saw the participation of Gaggenau. All appeared to be going fine until 41 seconds of elapsed time, when the game was stopped. Due to a mechanical malfunction, the pump supplying the water had failed which had resulted in the team not being able to pass a full vase. However, a quick check by the on-site production team corrected the error and the game was restarted from the beginning. At the end of the permitted time, Gaggenau had passed sixteen full vases and collected a total of 41cm (16¼in) of water.

The second heat featured Ansbach and although they completed the game without mishap, they only passed fourteen full vases and collected a total of 36cm (14¼in) of water.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Waiters
(Die Kellner)

There was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as waiters and ended with Ansbach collecting five coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 500, 1 x 400 and 2 x 100 = 1,900 Deutsche Mark (approximately £270 at time of recording) whilst Gaggenau collected seven coins - 1 x 300, 2 x 200 and 4 x 100 = 1,100 Deutsche Mark (approximately £156).

Comparative value in 2020: £270 = £2,283 whilst £156 = £1,319.

Game 6 - The Balalaika Music
(Die Balalaika-Musik)

The sixth game - ‘The Balalaika Music’ (Die Balalaika-Musik) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and was another from the ingenious mind of designer Willi Steinberg. It featured three male competitors from each team standing at the base of a giant balalaika laid out on the arena floor. Adjacent to the base, there were sixteen segments of a musical score and at the top end was an upright easel. Before the game began, a mystery tune would be played by the Marc De Luchik Ensemble (this tune was not known to anybody, not even the presenter or referees, until this point). After 50 seconds of listening to the music, the ensemble then stopped playing. On the whistle, each competitor had to select one of the segments of the score and then climb up and traverse the length of the balalaika utilising the strings as a footbridge. On reaching the end, they had to jump down and place the segments on the easel in the order which they believed to be correct. They then had to return to the start and then had to repeat the game throughout. Segments could be moved around on the easel at any time. Competitors losing their footing whilst crossing the strings had to return to the start. At the end of permitted time, two members of the ensemble would play the musical score segments exactly as displayed. The team with the correct number of segments in the correct order would be declared the winners.

Although this at first appeared to be a simple and straightforward game, it required some musical knowledge on the competitors’ part. At the end of permitted time, Gaggenau had placed 13 segments onto their easel and Ansbach had placed 15 segments onto their easel. However, when the musicians started to play, it was clear that musical knowledge was not the competitors’ forte, as the tunes played were nothing like the original. Referees were handed envelopes to show the correct positioning of the segments and declared that Gaggenau had actually placed 6 segments in the correct place whilst Ansbach had only placed 4 correctly.

Game 7 - Sleigh Ride
(Schlittenfahrt)

The seventh game - ‘Sleigh Ride’ (Schlittenfahrt) - was played individually over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team sitting in a large sleigh and ten team-mates (seven males and three females) each in possession of two large parcels and one large sack. In opposition were two male competitors dressed in horse costumes and attached to the sleigh. On the whistle, the opposition had to pull the sleigh down one side of the 50m (164ft) course and at the end, turn the sleigh around and pull it back up the other side and across the finish line. Contemporaneously, the ten team-mates, standing on boxes equidistantly apart in the middle of the course, had to throw the parcels and sacks to the competitor in the sleigh. He then had to stack all items caught successfully in the sleigh. Items that fell to the ground would not be counted but any that landed on the back of the horses and remained there until the end of the game would. However, any that fell to the ground on the outward journey could be retrieved by the thrower and thrown again during the return journey. The team collecting the greater number of items (a possible maximum of 30) would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Gaggenau with Ansbach in opposition. On the outbound journey, their competitor caught ten of the twelve items thrown to him and on the return journey, although he caught another nine of the fourteen items thrown, four of those already on the sleigh were dislodged and fell to the ground. The course was completed by the opposition in 1 minute 16 seconds with Gaggenau collecting a total of 15 items (7 parcels and 8 sacks).

The second heat featured Ansbach with Gaggenau in opposition and their competitor caught ten of the fifteen items thrown to him and on the return journey caught another twelve of the seventeen items thrown. The course was completed by the opposition in 1 minute 21 seconds with Ansbach collecting a total of 22 items (14 parcels and 8 sacks).

Game 8 - Rasputin the Mad Monk
(Rasputin der Verrückte Mönch)

The eighth game - ‘Rasputin the Mad Monk’ (Rasputin der Verrückte Mönch) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured two male competitors from each team inside a giant effigy of Rasputin the Mad Monk complete with a 15m (49ft 2½in) long beard which was attached to a fixed point at the end of the course. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together and rotate the costume in order to wind the beard around it. Once the teams had reached the end of the course, the beard had to be unhooked from its mounting and placed over an adjacent hook. They then had to play the game in reverse and rotate in order to unfurl the beard and cross the original start line. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw both teams neck and neck throughout with both reaching the end of the course after 38 seconds of elapsed time. With nothing to separate them in the closing stages, both teams crossed the line at the exact same time of 1 minute 1 second. 

Game 9 - Russian Roulette
(Russisches Roulette)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘Russian Roulette’ (Russisches Roulette) - was played individually over one minute duration and witnessed Ansbach presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team and a giant gun with ten barrels which was attached to a power jet hose. Before the game started, a stagehand randomly loaded 33 small balls into the ten barrels of the gun and rotated it. On the whistle, the power jet was turned on and it would fire all the balls that were in that barrel into the air. The two competitors had to then catch as many of the falling balls as possible and place them into a box. The barrel of the gun was then turned one notch and five seconds later, the process was repeated. Once all ten barrels had been emptied, the game would end. The team collecting the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Gaggenau and they collected a total of 9 balls.

The second heat featured Ansbach and they were slightly more accurate in their catching ability and collected a total of 10 balls.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ansbach (4pts awarded / Joker / 13pts total) 2nd Gaggenau (0pts / 9pts) ▼

Comments: Following the result of this game, Ansbach had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Game 10 - The Chess Pieces
(Die Schachfiguren)

The tenth and final game - ‘The Chess Pieces’ (Die Schachfiguren) - was played in unison over twelve rounds and featured sixteen competitors (ten males and six females) from each team dressed as the sixteen playing pieces in a chess game and a chessboard with a white line marked across its centre. On the whistle, the first competitor had to run across the board from one side whilst his opponent dressed as the same piece had to do so from the other. The competitor crossing the white line first would be awarded 1pt. This would be repeated with the other seven main pieces and then the eight minor pieces (pawns) would run across in pairs whereby the winner would be awarded 2pts. The team accumulating the greater number of points would be declared the winners.

The first round of this very straightforward game started with Ansbach taking a 1-0 lead (rook v. rook). The second round saw Gaggenau levelling the scores at 1-1 (knight v. knight). The third round saw Ansbach taking a 2-1 lead (bishop v. bishop) followed by the fourth round which saw Ansbach increasing their lead to 3-1 (king v. king). Two more consecutive victories in rounds five (queen v. queen) and six (knight v. knight) saw Ansbach increase their lead to 4-1 and then to 5-1, respectively. The seventh round (bishop v. bishop) saw Gaggenau reduce the deficit to 5-2 but then Ansbach increased their lead once more in round eight to 6-2 (rook v. rook). The final four rounds were then played in pairs of pawns and the result of each round would be decided at the point the second player from each team crossed the line. The ninth round saw Gaggenau victorious reducing the deficit to 6-4 but then Ansbach increased it to 8-4 after winning the tenth round. The final two rounds saw Gaggenau victorious on both occasions and with the additional 4pts awarded they levelled the scores at 8-8.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Ansbach (1pt awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Gaggenau (1pt / 10pts)

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 3

Event Staged: Sunday 29th April 1973
Venue: Freilichtbühne (Open-Air Theatre), Heppenheim an der Bergstraße,
Hessen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 29th April 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Hans Ebersberger, Peter Hochrath and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Torrential Rain

Theme: Eine Mittelalterliche Burg (A Medieval Castle)

Teams: Alzey v. Heppenheim an der Bergstraße

Team Members included:
Alzey - Gerd Braun (Team Coach), Udo Ewald, Rolf Fecht, Christel Filbir, Michael Fister, Hans Günter Harth, Gabi Grundl, Reinhard Lawall, Fritz Nusselt, Josef Prömpler, Reinhard Rhaue, Peter Selinger, Heide Schäfer, Jürgen Schön, Helmut Scholl, Enrico Spemann, Rolf Stauf;
Heppenheim an der Bergstraße - Hans-Joachim Hunsumar (Team Coach), Bernd Gencau.

Games: The Knight’s Armour, Impaling the Dice, The Tournament, Chain Mail, The Catapult, Knights on the Move, Arm Raised, Look Up and Hats Down, The Flower Garden, The Glutton, The Balls and Chains.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 A • Alzey ● ●
 H • Heppenheim an der Bergstraße

13
9

Alzey qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Senigallia, Italy:
staged on Wednesday 6th June 1973

The Host Town

Heppenheim an der Bergstraße, Hessen

Heppenheim an der Bergstraße is a town with a population of around 26,000 inhabitants in the state of Hessen. It is located below the medieval castle of Starkenburg, 53km (33 miles) south of Frankfurt am Main, 74km (46 miles) north of Karlsruhe, 98km (61 miles) east of Idar-Oberstein and 176km (109 miles) west of Nurnberg. It takes its name from its location on the mountain road (Bergstraße) on the edge of the Odenwald forest and it is believed that Heppenheim an der Bergstraße had market rights from the 9th century although full town rights were not bestowed until 1318.

The first documented mention of Heppenheim an der Bergstraße is in AD 755. At that time, the town was the hub of a Frankish domain. In AD 773, this area became one of the donations of Charlemagne (AD 742-AD 814) to the Lorsch Abbey, and to protect it, the castle (Starkenburg) was built above it in 1065. In 1066, it successfully resisted a siege by Prince-Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg-Bremen (1000-1072). The Imperial Abbey held the rank of principality, and Heppenheim an der Bergstraße developed over time into the territory’s administrative and economic hub, although it lost its importance with the Abbey’s downfall in the 11th and 12th centuries. In 1229, Emperor Friedrich II put the Starkenburg under the administration of the Archbishops of Electoral Mainz, doing likewise with the Lorsch Abbey along with Heppenheim an der Bergstraße in 1232. In 1803, the town became Hessian, first part of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, and since 1948 it has been part of the Bundesland of Hesse.

In both 1369 and 1693 (in the latter case owing to the devastation wrought by the French in the Nine Years' War), Heppenheim an der Bergstraße was almost utterly destroyed in town fires. It suffered severely in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) whilst the Starkenburg was overwhelmed by Spanish troops in 1621 and again by the Swedes in 1630. The Plague killed about 80% of the population in 1635 (almost 100% in the outlying countryside), and the town was sacked by the Poles in 1636 and again in 1645 by the French. Despite these attacks, the town actually came through both World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) unscathed, aside from slight damage when the Americans marched in March 1945.

The town has over 408 cultural monuments that are under monumental protection. These include the marketplace with the Town Hall, the Starkenburg on the Schlossberg (mountain), the Catholic Parish Church of St. Peter and an open-air stage, built in 1955 on the Kappel, on the occasion of the town’s 1,200-year jubilee.

Heppenheim an der Bergstraße has at its disposal a largely preserved, self-contained, picturesque Old Town core with an area of about 8 hectares, within which are found all the sights mentioned above. The Old Town is characterised by timber-frame houses dating back to the reconstruction in the early decades after Heppenheim an der Bergstraße’s destruction during the Nine Years' War (1688-1697) in 1693. Of the town wall, however, which was largely knocked down in the early 19th century, little remains.

The Visiting Town

Alzey is a town with a population of around 18,000 inhabitants in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and is located 42km (26 miles) south-east of Heppenheim an der Bergstraße.

The Venue

Freilichtbühne

The games were played at the town’s open-air theatre which was created on the site of a former quarry in 1955 to celebrate the 1,200th anniversary of Heppenheim an der Bergstraße. With its natural semi-circular stage, which in itself fascinates visitors by its uniqueness, the amphitheatre is used as a venue for concerts and comedy, theatre and opera evenings.

During the Formula 1 Motor Racing season, and especially when local hero Sebastian Vettel (born in the town in 1987) is in action, a huge screen is erected at the theatre with seating and standing to accommodate up to 6,000 people.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Knight’s Armour
(Die Rüstung des Ritters)

The first game - ‘The Knight’s Armour’ (Die Rüstung des Ritters) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team and nine rigid sections of a knight’s armour - two thigh guards, two boots, a waistband, a full upper torso guard, two arm guards and a helmet. On the whistle, the competitor had to dress himself in the sections so that it resembled a suit of armour. Once attired, he then had to pick up a sword and race down a 25m (82ft) course which had 25 balloons laid out on the ground in five sets of five balloons, each 5m (16ft 5in) apart, and burst all the balloons with the sword. Once completed, he then had to run back to the start to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which saw Heppenheim an der Bergstraße get the better start and begin their journey up the course after just 39 seconds of elapsed time with Alzey doing likewise 11 seconds later. With the early advantage, Heppenheim an der Bergstraße held their nerve and completed the outward journey in 1 minute 8 seconds and then returned down the course and crossed the line in 1 minute 21 seconds. Contemporaneously, Alzey were bursting their final quintet of balloons and although the result was a foregone conclusion, the game was played out to a finish with Alzey crossing the line in 1 minute 43 seconds.

Game 2 - Impaling the Dice
(Aufspießen die Würfel)

The second game - ‘Impaling the Dice’ (Aufspießen die Würfel) - was played individually over two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team equipped with a poleaxe. On the whistle, a female team-mate had to get inside a giant dice shaker and then begin to throw a total of 25 polystyrene dice out through the top, one at a time. As each die descended downwards, the competitor had to spike it with the poleaxe and then a male-team would remove it and place it on the ground in full view of the assembled crowd and cameras. The value on the face of the die spiked would count towards the team’s final total. Each competitor had to stand behind a line 2m (6ft 6¾in) in front of the shaker and only dice caught whilst standing behind it would be counted. The team accumulating the greater total of spots on the dice would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very fast-paced game saw the participation of Alzey and they successfully spiked 23 dice in 1 minute 37 seconds and scored a total of 83 (2 + 3 + 5 + 3 + 6 + 1 + 4 + 3 + 6 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 4).

The second heat featured Heppenheim an der Bergstraße and they successfully spiked 22 dice in 1 minute 52 seconds and scored a total of 76 (3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 6 + 4 + 1 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 4 + 6 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3).

Game 3 - The Tournament
(Das Turnier)

The third game - ‘The Tournament’ (Das Turnier) - was played in unison over six minutes duration and featured up to five male competitors from each team and two inflated horses fixed to the ground and facing each other. On the whistle, the first of the competitors had to mount the horse, stand on its back and then grab a large heavy lance with bulbous padded ends. He then had to use the lance as a battering ram in order to dislodge his opponent from his horse and down onto the ground. Each victory would score 1pt but if both competitors fell to the ground, they would both be deemed as losers. The team achieving the greater number of victories would be declared the winners.

The first round of this somewhat tedious mish-mash of a game saw both competitors staying aloft until 1 minute 28 seconds of elapsed time when the Alzey competitor dislodged his rival and was leading 1-0.

With the clock still ticking away, the second Heppenheim an der Bergstraße competitor mounted his horse and did battle with his rival until 3 minutes 30 seconds had elapsed, after which the round was declared stalemate and both competitors were ‘retired’. Two new competitors then mounted their respective horses and did battle for just 48 seconds after which both fell to the ground. With both teams being deemed losers, Alzey continued to lead by 1-0.

The third round saw another two new competitors in battle, with Heppenheim an der Bergstraße victorious after 5 minutes 50 seconds. With no time remaining to start a fourth round, the game ended with the teams level at 1-1.

Game 4 - Chain Mail
(Kettenhemd)

The fourth game - ‘Chain Mail’ (Kettenhemd) - was played in unison over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team and a 30m (98ft 5¼in) long netting (chain mail) cut out in the shape of a human body and laid out over three cubes, a chair and a chest. On the whistle, the competitor had to run forward to the middle of the second and third cubes and climb into a hole in the middle of the netting. He then had to pull the bottom 15m (49ft 2½in) of netting up each of his legs and once accomplished had to do likewise by pulling the top 15m of netting over each of his arms. He then had to run back to the start, ensuring that he kept his legs open wide enough to prevent the netting from dropping and hindering his passage, to collect the first and second cubes. He then had to run down the 50m (82ft) course and deposit them over the finish line. Once completed, he then had to run back up the course to collect the third box and the chair and return with them over the finish line. The final task was for him to collect the large chest and return to finish line. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This game was simple in design and the majority of the playing time was spent with the competitors attiring themselves in the netting. Although both teams were neck and neck at the start, Alzey were the more adept in the execution of the game and after 1 minute 57 seconds of elapsed time were the first to return to the start and start collecting the cubes. At this point, the Heppenheim an der Bergstraße competitor could be seen to be having difficulty with the arms after twisting the netting. With his second journey to collect the final box and the chair already completed, and with his rival still encountering problems, the Alzey competitor returned to collect the chest and crossed the finish line in 2 minutes 50 seconds. Although the Heppenheim an der Bergstraße competitor eventually attired himself after 3 minutes 8 seconds and began collecting the boxes, it was a lost cause and was declared out of time after depositing just two of cubes over the line.

Game 5 - The Catapult
(Das Katapult)

The fifth game - ‘The Catapult’ (Das Katapult) - was played individually over three minutes duration and featured three male competitors from each team and a large wooden catapult located 30m (98ft 5¼in) in front of a crenellated wall with eight unfixed merlons. On the whistle, the competitors had to load the elasticated sling of the catapult with one of twelve balls and then work together to aim it at and dislodge the merlons. This would then be repeated with the other eleven balls. The team displacing the greater number of merlons would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of Heppenheim an der Bergstraße but, despite all their efforts, they were unable to dislodge any of the merlons during the 2 minutes 36 seconds it took them to complete the twelve shots.

The second heat featured Alzey and it appeared that the game would end in stalemate until the team fired their fifth ball and knocked down one of the merlons after 58 seconds of elapsed time. Although the result had now been decided in theory, the referees permitted the game to continue to a finish. With further successes with the sixth, seventh and thirteenth balls, Alzey dislodged a total of four merlons in 2 minutes 57 seconds.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Valets
(Die Kammerdiener)

With the rain easing slightly and sunshine breaking through the clouds, there was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as valets and ended with Heppenheim an der Bergstraße collecting seven coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 400, 1 x 300, 2 x 200 and 2 x 100 = 2,100 Deutsche Mark (approximately £298 at time of recording) whilst Alzey collected five coins - 1 x 500 and 4 x 100 = 900 Deutsche Mark (approximately £127).

Comparative value in 2020: £298 = £2,520 whilst £127 = £1,074.

Game 6 - Knights on the Move
(Ritter in Bewegung)

The sixth game - ‘Knights on the Move’ (Ritter in Bewegung) - was played individually over four minutes duration and witnessed Heppenheim an der Bergstraße presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team dressed in stiff foam rubber knight’s armour and four arched gateways, three of which had four vertical elasticated wires attached to roof and floor. On the whistle, the competitors had to pass through each of the archways whilst negotiating the wires and on reaching the end of the course, they had to collect a giant chest and transport it back to the start in the same manner. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple, straightforward and uneventful game saw the participation of Alzey and they completed the return journey without mishap in 3 minutes 11 seconds.

The second heat featured Heppenheim an der Bergstraße and, having had the advantage of having witnessed any possible pitfalls during the execution of the game, they completed the course in 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Game 7 - Arm Raised, Look Up and Hats Down
(Arm Angehoben, Nachzuschlagen und Hüte nach Unten)

The seventh game - ‘Arm Raised, Look Up and Hats Down’ (Arm Angehoben, Nachzuschlagen und Hüte nach Unten) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured three females from each team dressed as damsels - two standing at the foot of the castle wall whilst the other was located on the battlements above and equipped with sixteen pointed conical hats. On the whistle, one of the ground-based competitors, with her arm inside a similar hat, had to stand behind a given line and catch the hats being thrown downwards by the competitor on the battlements. Once eight hats had been caught successfully, the third competitor placed another hat, which had a spike protruding from the point, on top of those caught and placed the pile on her head. She then had to stand beneath one of two large water-filled balloons located to the side of the game and then jump up and burst it with the spike. Once completed, the ground-based competitors then swapped roles and the game was repeated. With each team only having a total of sixteen hats to throw, any that were not caught and dropped to the ground had to be returned to the battlements by being attached to a rope and pulled up. The team completing the game by bursting both balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw Heppenheim an der Bergstraße take an early lead, bursting their first balloon after 34 seconds of elapsed time with Alzey doing likewise four seconds later. However, Alzey picked up the pace and closed the deficit and completed the game in 1 minute 29 seconds.

Game 8 - The Flower Garden
(Der Blumengarten)

The eighth game - ‘The Flower Garden’ (Der Blumengarten) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team dressed in foam-rubber costumes depicting a courting couple and a 25m (82ft) course with a row of six bouquets on either side. However, to make their task more cumbersome, whilst the costumes were forward-facing, the competitors inside were backward-facing. On the whistle, the male competitor had to hold the left hand of the female with his right hand and then they had to work together and run backwards up the course and then bend their bodies to the side to retrieve two bouquets (the male using his left hand whilst the female had to use her right hand). Once completed, they then had to run back to the start and place the bouquets into a small wicker basket and repeat the game throughout. The team collecting all six bouquets in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which Alzey completed in 1 minute 26 seconds with Heppenheim an der Bergstraße doing likewise in 1 minute 33 seconds. 

Game 9 - The Glutton
(Der Gefräßiger Mann)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Glutton’ (Der Gefräßiger Mann) - was played individually over three minutes duration and witnessed Alzey presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and twenty-eight items of food (two baguettes, three carrots, four sausages, three tomatoes, two pears, four cabbages and ten peas), a large bottle and a large sword. On the whistle, the female had to remove the items from a large chest and run up the course and place them on a table in front of the male competitor who was wearing a giant oversized head with a large mouth that could be opened. After placing them on the table, the male then had to pick each one up and, pulling down on the lower jaw of the mouth, place each item inside. The items then fell into a large holding sack behind the competitor inside the costume. The team ‘consuming’ all thirty items in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Alzey and they completed the game without mishap in 2 minutes 33 seconds.

The second heat featured Heppenheim an der Bergstraße and whilst it did not appear that they were as fast as their rivals, they completed the game in 2 minutes 16 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Alzey (0pts awarded / Joker / 11pts total) 2nd Heppenheim an der Bergstraße (2pts / 9pts)

Comments: With the torrential rain now stopped, the sun shone through and a rainbow appeared over the arena. After almost an hour of wet weather, this was the first of only two games that were played in the dry.

Game 10 - The Balls and Chains
(Die Kugeln und Ketten)

The tenth and final game - ‘The Balls and Chains’ (Die Kugeln und Ketten) - was played over four minutes duration and featured five male competitors from each team wearing giant armoured boots and manacled together by balls and chains with each of the final four competitors carrying a large ball. On the whistle, the teams had to traverse a straight 25m (82ft course) to a podium which they had to circumnavigate twice and then return down the course to a small crenellated polystyrene battlement. The four rear competitors then had to throw the balls over the wall and then each of the team had to climb over. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Alzey take the lead from the outset and finished the game in 2 minutes 25 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Alzey (2pts awarded / 13pts total) 2nd Heppenheim an der Bergstraße (0pts / 9pts)

Comments: Although it appeared that Alzey gained an advantage by snapping the merlons from the battlement in order to even out the top of the wall and assist with their climb, they had ingeniously used a loophole in the rules and therefore the referees did not penalise the team and permitted them to continue.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Despite the inclement weather experienced for the majority of the programme, neither presenter Camillo Felgen nor the three referees utilised umbrellas or raincoats at any time. Their outfits, which comprised of summer blazers and casual trousers, were drenched throughout. True professionalism or what?

Reunions

Alzey

In early 2017, members of the Alzey team got together to celebrate their 44th anniversary in the town centre.

Additional Information

This heat was subjected to heavy torrential rain from the start until the last fifteen minutes of the programme when it finally relented and permitted the sun to shine down on the arena. Despite this, it did not in any way dampen the competitors’ or audience’s spirits and appeared not to hamper the execution of any of the games.

This programme opened, closed and was interspersed with strains of Ja, So Warns de Alten Rittersleut! (Yes, That’s How the Old Knights Were!), a massive hit in West Germany in 1966 by popular München Dixieland Band Die Hot Dogs. Founded in 1955 by students of the Technical University and students of the Maximilian Grammar School, they were originally called TH Hot Dogs. The name was soon changed to the New Orleans Hot Dogs to highlight the band’s favourite jazz style. After the band turned professional in 1970, they shortened their name simply to Die Hot Dogs and continued to perform until their break-up in 2004.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 4

Event Staged: Sunday 6th May 1973
Venue: Stadionbad (Swimming Pool Stadium),
Bamberg, Bayern, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 6th May 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Hans Ebersberger, Peter Hochrath and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny with Rain Showers

Theme: Deutsche Legenden und Folklore (German Legends and Folklore)

Teams: Bamberg v. Hof

Team Members included:
Bamberg - Berthold Peslar (Team Coach), Birgit Blintner, Evalt Meringer;
Hof - Wolfgang Meyer (Men’s Team Coach), Monika Hossfeld (Women’s Team Coach), Sabrina Moretti.

Games: The Song of the Lorelei, The Walpurgis Witch, Klaus Störtebeker and the Victual Brothers, Siegfried and the Dragon, Lohengrin and the Swans, The Bamberg Horseman, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Diving Bell, The Cologne Brownies, Father Rhine and his Daughters.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 H • Hof ● ●
 B • Bamberg

18
4

Hof qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Chartres, France:
staged on Wednesday 4th July 1973

The Host Town

Bamberg, Bayern

Bamberg is a city with a population of around 76,000 inhabitants in the state of Bayern. It is located on the 187km (116 miles) long River Regnitz, close to its confluence with the much larger 525km (326 miles) long River Main, 40km (25 miles) south of Coburg, 48km (30 miles) west of Bayreuth, 52km (32 miles) north of Nürnberg and 69km (43 miles) east of Würzburg.

The town extends over seven hills (Cathedral Hill, Michaelsberg, Kaulberg/Obere Pfarre, Stefansberg, Jakobsberg, Altenburger Hill and Abtsberg), each crowned by a beautiful church. This has led to Bamberg being called the ‘Franconian Rome’ - although a running joke amongst Bamberg's tour guides is to refer to Rome instead as the ‘Italian Bamberg’.

The town, which at the time of transmission was celebrating its 1,000th anniversary, grew up by the castle Babenberch and gave its name to the Babenberg family. On their extinction, it passed to the Saxon house. The area was Christianised chiefly by the monks of the Benedictine Fulda Abbey, and the land was under the spiritual authority of the Diocese of Würzburg.

In 1007, Holy Roman Emperor Henry II (AD 973-1024) made Bamberg a family inheritance, the seat of a separate diocese. The emperor's purpose in this was to make the Diocese of Würzburg less unwieldy in size and to give Christianity a firmer footing in the districts of Franconia, east of Bamberg. In 1008, after long negotiations with the Bishops of Würzburg and Eichstätt, the boundaries of the new diocese were defined, and Pope John XVIII granted the papal confirmation in the same year.

The witch trials of the 17th century claimed about one thousand victims in Bamberg, reaching a climax between 1626 and 1631, under the rule of Prince-Bishop Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim (1586-1633). Although the famous Drudenhaus (witch prison), built in 1627, is no longer standing today, detailed accounts of some cases remain, such as that of Johannes Junius (1573-1628), Mayor of Bamberg.

After a communist uprising took control of Bavaria in the years following World War I (1914-1918), the state government fled to Bamberg and stayed there for almost two years before the Bavarian capital of München was retaken by Freikorps (Free Corps) units. The first republican constitution of Bavaria was passed in Bamberg, becoming known as the Bamberger Verfassung (Bamberg Constitution). In February 1926, Bamberg served as the venue for the Bamberg Conference, convened by Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) in his attempt to foster unity and to stifle dissent within the then-young Nazi party, being chosen for its location in Upper Franconia, reasonably close to the residences of the members of the dissident northern Nazi faction but still within Bavaria.

The biggest tourist attraction is Bamberg Cathedral, a late Romanesque building with four towers. It was founded in 1004 by Emperor Henry II, finished in 1012 and consecrated on 6th May of that year. It was later partially destroyed by fire in 1081. The new cathedral, built by Saint Otto of Bamberg (1060-1139), was consecrated in 1111 and in the 13th century received its present late-Romanesque form.

The cathedral is 94m (308ft) long, 28m (92ft) wide and 26m (85ft) high and its four towers are each about 81m (266ft) high. It contains many historic works of art, such as the marble tomb of the founder and his wife, considered one of the greatest works of the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531), and carved between 1499 and 1513. Another treasure of the cathedral is an equestrian statue known as Der Bamberger Reiter (The Bamberg Horseman). This statue, which serves as a symbol of the town, possibly depicts the emperor Conrad III (1093-1152) and most likely dates to the first half of the 13th century.

One of the more unusual sights of the town is the Obere Brücke (Upper Bridge) which was completed in 1455. Halfway across this, located on an island, is the old Rathaus (Town Hall) which was rebuilt between 1744 and 1756).

Bamberg is known for its Rauchbier (smoked beer), which is produced by using malted barley that has been dried over an open flame, and is home to nine breweries including Kaiserdom and Klosterbräu.

The Visiting Town

Hof is a town with a population of around 45,500 inhabitants in the state of Bayern and is located 85km (53 miles) north-east of Bamberg.

The Venue

Stadionbad

The games were played in Stadionbad, the city’s largest and most popular outdoor pool which was opened to the general public on a very rainy day in July 1953.

Before this momentous day, many locals had longed for an open-air pool especially during the hot summer months. Until then, many found themselves utilising the River Regnitz or crowded into the indoor bathhouse along Kunigundendamm. After many years of tenacious wrestling with the city council, the first modern public bath with a non-swimmer and swimmer pool, a one-metre and three-metre high diving tower was finally realised.

The first visitors flocked to the site of the former Aschehalde on 18th July 1953. However, the weather was to slightly dampen the proceedings by baptising it and leaving all the guests standing in the rain. Unperturbed, Mayor Luitpold Weegmann addressed the assembled crowd with his well-rehearsed opening speech. This was a milestone in the history for the Bamberg swimming community. At the beginning of the 19th century, the opening of the bathhouse had made waves, as up until that time men and women had had to bathe separately. In addition to heated baths and spas, guests behind the house on the river were offered a bizarre amusement option by being permitted to splash around in huts that stood on rafts in the water to protect them from prying eyes.

An urban swimming school had been built in 1849 in Theresienhain with former soldiers serving as swimming instructors. Further achievements followed with the opening of a ladies' outdoor pool in 1907 and 21 years later the bathhouse on Kunigundendamm mentioned above. The new stadium was blessed with two 50-metre pools adjacent to lawns and sunbathing terraces. However, reports showed that the most popular place in the sun was the wall that separated non-swimmers from swimmers!

The original cost of entrance to the new swimming complex was 90 pfennigs (approximately 8p) for adults and 50 pfennigs (approximately 4p) for children. However, the water was unheated until the mid-1970s after which it was heated by an external steam generator. To make the stadium more environmental-friendly, a solar panel system was installed during the 1980s to heat the pools. The stadium began to dilapidate in the late 1990s and it was then that the wrangling over its future began. After nearly four years of negotiation, a three-stage renewal plan was put in place. This resulted in the stadium’s doors being closed to the public, after almost fifty years of service, in September 2001.

Following the 2.7 million Euro (£1,850,000) make-over, the newly-refurbished stadium reopened its doors on 7th June 2003 after which time bathers could enjoy more modernised sanitary facilities.

The Stadionbad today has a large 50m sports pool with eight lanes holding 1000m³ (10,763ft³) of water. There is also a 580m² (6,243ft²) wave pool, a 280m² (3,014ft²) adventure pool and a 128m² (1,378ft²) children's pool. To round-off the fun, there is also a 57m (187ft) long stainless steel water slide. For those that prefer life at a more leisurely pace, the old trees provide plenty of shade on the lawn, so visitors can protect themselves in the summer from the hot sun.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Song of the Lorelei
(Das Lied der Loreley)

The first game - ‘The Song of the Lorelei’ (Das Lied der Loreley) - was played in unison over four minutes duration and featured two female competitors from each team sitting in shallow ‘boats’ and a large effigy of a lorelei with long blonde tresses of hair strewn across the pool. On the whistle, the first competitor had to use her hands to paddle down the 50m (164ft) pool and as she approached the Lorelei’s tresses, had to raise them above her head to continue her journey to the other end of the pool. Once completed, the second competitor then had to repeat the game, but for parity had to swap lanes. The team completing the return journey in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game in which Hof got the better start and completed the first run in 1 minute 8 seconds with Bamberg doing likewise after 1 minute 22 seconds of elapsed time.

On the second run, Bamberg had closed the deficit by the halfway mark and it was then a straight race to the finish. However, disaster struck Bamberg after 2 minutes 33 minutes, when their competitor, having created excessive waves in haste, took on water and the boat sank to the bottom of the pool. Hof continued to the end of the pool and completed the game in 2 minutes 52 seconds.

Game 2 - The Walpurgis Witch
(Die Walpurgishexe)

The second game - ‘The Walpurgis Witch’ (Die Walpurgishexe) - was played in unison over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Hof presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a female competitor from each team equipped with a besom and standing inside a large bell-shaped raft. Above the pool there was a wire with five gold stars hanging down at regular intervals along its length. On the whistle, the competitor had to use the besom as a paddle in order to manoeuvre the raft up the course to reach the first of the stars. Once underneath, she then had to raise the besom and use it to slide the first star along the wire towards the second. She then had to repeat the process with the remainder of the stars until all five had reached a given point. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Hof take the lead from the outset and complete the game in 3 minutes 5 seconds.

Game 3 - Klaus Störtebeker and the Victual Brothers
(Klaus Störtebeker und die Vitalienbrüder)

The third game - ‘Klaus Störtebeker and the Victual Brothers’ (Klaus Störtebeker und die Vitalienbrüder) - was scheduled to be played in unison over three rounds of three minutes duration and featured up to six male competitors from each team and two caravels - Christoffuss (Hof) and Matzia (Bamberg) - located at opposite sides of the pool at the far end of the 50m (164ft) course. Each team had hold of a rope, anchored at its far extreme at the centre of the poolside at the other end, above which there was a giant water-filled balloon. On the whistle, the two competitors had to work together to pull their caravel towards the anchorage point and burst the balloon with a spike protruding from the vessel’s bowsprit. At the end of each round, the caravels were returned to their original positions at the far end of the pool and two new competitors would step aboard and prepare to do ‘battle’. The team winning the greater number of battles would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw both teams neck and neck reaching the target area together, However, a slight error by the Bamberg duo permitted Hof to move in and burst the balloon unhindered after 38 seconds and they were leading Bamberg by 1-0 on the game.

The second heat was much closer and, at first, appeared that it would end in stalemate. However, after much manual manoeuvring of the Hof vessel by the Bamberg team, one of their competitors lost his footing and tumbled into the pool and this error permitted the Hof team to realign their vessel and burst the balloon after 2 minutes 46 seconds. With the score at 2-0 in Hof’s favour, the result had now already been decided and the game was halted.

Game 4 - Siegfried and the Dragon
(Siegried und der Drache)

The fourth game - ‘Siegfried and the Dragon’ (Siegfried und der Drache) - was played individually and featured a male competitor from each team equipped with fifteen oversized darts and a large floating dragon in the pool with an upright target board in its jaws. On the whistle, the competitor, standing on the poolside, had to throw the darts at the target 5m (16ft 5in) away. The target consisted of five different valued scoring areas - 50pts for the centre and four rings extending outwards from it were valued at 40pts, 30pts, 20pts and 10pts, respectively. Only darts hitting the target would score and the maximum score that any team could achieve in theory would be 750pts (15 x 50pts). Any darts that pierced the flights of others already on the board would not count towards the final score. The team achieving the highest score would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple game saw the participation of Hof and they hit the target with ten of their darts and scored a total of 300pts (0 + 30 + 20 + 30 + 40 + 30 + 20 + 30 + 0 + 0 + 20 + 40 + 0 + 40 + 0).

The second heat featured Bamberg and they hit the target with fourteen of their darts and scored a total of 340pts (30 + 10 + 20 + 30 + 10 + 40 + 20 + 10 + 30 + 0 + 10 + 30 + 40 + 10 + 50). Although the final dart appeared to score zero, the referees called for the target to be brought to the poolside for inspection and declared that it had actually penetrated the central ring and therefore was deemed to have scored 50pts.

Game 5 - Lohengrin and the Swans
(Lohengrin und die Schwäne)

The fifth game - ‘Lohengrin and the Swans’ (Lohengrin und die Schwäne) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team sitting inside a large floating swan. On the whistle, the competitor had to use the wings of the swan as paddles and simply traverse the length of the 50m (164ft) course. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which saw Hof get off to the better start and lead the race throughout, reaching the end of the course in 1 minute 17 seconds.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Valets
(Die Kammerdiener)

There was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as valets and surprisingly ended in a draw with Bamberg collecting five coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 300, 1 x 200 and 2 x 100 = 1,500 Deutsche Mark (approximately £213 at time of recording) whilst Hof collected seven coins - 1 x 500, 1 x 400, 1 x 200 and 4 x 100 = 1,500 Deutsche Mark.

Comparative value in 2020: £213 = £1,800.

Game 6 - The Bamberg Horseman
(Der Bamberger Reiter)

The sixth game - ‘The Bamberg Horseman’ (Der Bamberger Reiter) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured four competitors (two males and two females) from each team and a statue of a horse and rider statue upright on a plinth comprised of three individual floating sectors. On the whistle, the two females had to work together to keep the three sectors together and move the statue from one end of the 50m (164ft) pool to the other. Once completed, the two male competitors repeated the game in the opposite direction. A penalty of 15 seconds would be incurred for each piece of the plinth that was separated from the others and an additional 5 second penalty would be incurred if the statue toppled over and was not upright at the end of the game. The team completing the game in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw Bamberg suffer a mishap after just 17 seconds of elapsed time when they failed to keep the sectors together and the statue tumbled into the pool. Unperturbed, and knowing they would be incurring penalties, the team continued on and reached the end of the pool after 1 minute 41 seconds, closely followed by Hof with all parts intact in 1 minute 43 seconds. The return journey was uneventful with Hof surprisingly keeping pace with Bamberg. With both teams reaching the finish line together after 2 minutes 51 seconds and with the Hof statue still upright, the result was a foregone conclusion. The referees confirmed that although the teams had achieved the same finishing time, Bamberg had incurred a total of 50 seconds as all parts of their statue were separate from each other.

Game 7 - The Pied Piper of Hamelin
(Der Rattenfänger von Hameln)

The seventh game - ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ (Der Rattenfänger von Hameln) - was played individually over four minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team equipped with a large musical pipe and fifty polystyrene mice (grey for Hof, white for Bamberg). On the whistle, the competitor had to push the mice into the water down an incline and then descend into the pool himself. Using only the pipe, he then had to guide all the mice down the 25m (82ft) course and then through a small archway into a holding pen. Once completed, he then had to pull down a portcullis to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Hof and they completed the task and secured all the mice into the pen and closed the gate in 3 minutes 18 seconds.

The second heat featured Bamberg and, although their competitor was less adept at guiding the mice with the pipe, it appeared that he could emulate his target time. However, the delay incurred during the earlier part of the game was too much to overcome and he completed the game in 3 minutes 29 seconds.

Game 8 - The Diving Bell
(Die Taucherglocke)

The eighth game - ‘The Diving Bell’ (Die Taucherglocke) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured five competitors (four males and one female) from each team and an ‘island’ in the pool underneath which was an upturned catch net. On the whistle, two of the males had to dive into the pool and swim 10m (32ft 9¾in) to the island on which the female was sitting. The other two males then had to throw footballs which had to be caught cleanly and then placed underneath the island by diving down into the pool and placing them inside the open end of the net. As more and more footballs were placed into the net, the island would then rise out of the water. Once the base of the island was clear of the surface and the first layer of balls was visible, the team would be deemed as finishing. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Hof with the more adept catchers and they completed the game in 1 minute 51 seconds. 

Game 9 - The Cologne Brownies
(Die Heinzelmännchen von Köln)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Cologne Brownies’ (Die Heinzelmännchen von Köln) - was played individually over two rounds and witnessed Bamberg presenting their Joker for play. The game featured six competitors (four males and two females) from each team and a 10m (32ft 9¾in) indentated slide descending into the pool. On the whistle, the males, dressed as ‘brownies’ and equipped with two small balls (one in each hand), had to descend the slide and throw the balls to the two females standing behind a wire at the base. Each ball that was caught cleanly then had to be placed into a container. The team collecting the greater aggregate number of balls would be declared the winners.

The first round of this very simple game saw the Hof secure a total of 7 balls (1 + 2 + 2 + 2) and Bamberg secure a total of 5 balls (0 + 2 + 1 + 2) from the eight thrown.

The second round saw Hof catch a further 5 balls (1 + 1 + 1 + 2), giving them an aggregate total of 12, whilst Bamberg caught another 6 balls (0 + 2 + 2 + 2), giving them an aggregate total of 11.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Hof (2pts awarded / 18pts total) 2nd Bamberg (0pts / Joker / 2pts)

Inspiration for the Game: This game was based on a legend first written down by the Köln school teacher Ernst Weyden (1805-1869) in 1826. The Schuster children, Anton and Käthe, find some rare flowers in the forest lake, which resemble water lilies. They fish them out and take them home to show them to their father. He explains that this is the flower of the Heinzelmännchen (brownies) and blooms only once every hundred years. As soon as it blossoms, the brownies would come into people's homes at night and do all the work for them. They do this for as long as they are not seen, so nobody knows what they look like. Whilst everybody sleeps, the tower clock strikes midnight and the brownies come out of their hiding places and spread throughout the city. They bake the bread and the pies for the baker, sew the aprons and uniforms for the tailors and repair all the shoes for the shoemaker. They even do all the arithmetic tasks for young Anton and build wagon wheels and hobbyhorses for the children. However, the tailor’s wife is curious and wants to watch the brownies at work. Her husband warns her not to, because the hard-working helpers would then disappear forever. But the tailor’s wife cannot defeat her curiosity and the following evening spreads peas on the floor at night and hides behind a curtain. As the brownies enter the tailor's workshop, they slip on the peas. The wife turns on the lights and after being seen, the brownies run off into the dark night and disappear forever. The citizens of the city are sad, because the curiosity of the tailor woman has resulted in the brownies no longer working for them. The Heinzelmännchenbrunnen (Brownie fountain) was erected in the city centre to celebrate this story.

Game 10 - Father Rhine and his Daughters
(Vater Rhein und seine Töchter)

The tenth and final game - ‘Father Rhine and his Daughters’ (Vater Rhein und seine Töchter) - was played in unison over seven minutes duration and featured three females from each team. On the whistle, two of the competitors had to jump into the water and transport a large inflated duvet cover and pillow to the other end of the 50m (164ft) pool where a large floating bed was located. They then had to put the pillow and duvet onto the bed and, once completed, the third competitor had to then transport a giant-sized polystyrene effigy of Father Rhine down the pool to the bed and all three competitors had to work together and place him on it. Once achieved, the original two competitors then had to dive into the pool and swim back to the start and collect a crown and a trident with a fish spiked on its tines and then transport them back to the bed. Once they reached the end of the pool, they had to climb out unassisted and place the crown onto Father Rhine’s head and the shaft of the trident into a hole located on his chest. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Although this was a straightforward game, requiring two of the competitors to swim 150 metres in total, it was almost neck and neck until the final stages. With both teams reaching the end of the pool at the same time with their duvets and pillows, it was Hof that were first to set off on the second leg of the race after 1 minute 57 seconds of elapsed time followed by Bamberg, ten seconds later. However, Bamberg had closed the deficit by the start of the third leg, and were first to set off after 3 minutes 21 seconds, twenty-eight seconds ahead of Hof. With time now in their favour, the Bamberg duo were able to relax somewhat and ensure that no errors were made. With the crown and trident placed in their correct positions, Bamberg completed the game in 5 minutes 49 seconds with Hof finishing fifty seconds later in 6 minutes 39 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Hof (0pts awarded / 18pts total) 2nd Bamberg (2pts / 4pts)

Comments: A photograph of this game was featured on page 63 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 5

Event Staged: Sunday 13th May 1973
Venue: Stadion Meinerzhagen (Meinerzhagen Stadium),
Meinerzhagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 13th May 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Hans Ebersberger, Gerd Siepe and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Hot and Sunny

Theme: Im Land der Pharaonen (In the Land of the Pharaohs)

Teams: Goch v. Meinerzhagen

Team Members included:
Goch - Karl van Kohl (Team Coach), Karl-Ludwig Reindich, Christal van Generbit, Theo Schultz;
Meinerzhagen - Klaus Guthof (Co-Team Coach), Walter Haverkamp (Co-Team Coach), Martina Bockholt, Helga Braun, Peter Bundle, Reinhard Busch, Karin Erbe, Gundel Fastenrath, Joachim Gabriel, Eva Hake, Angelika Hegemann, Hans-Dieter Hoffmann, Christa Hohage, Harald Kessler, Rolf Kintea, Ingo-Werner Knothe, Rüdiger Kolb, Volker Noetzelmann, Helmut Rüßmann, Wolfgang Wilhelm, Herbert Wolff.

Games: Queen Nefertiti’s Headdress, Transporting the Camels, The Egyptian Hieroglyphs, The Sandstone Blocks, Unwrapping the Mummies, The Pharaoh’s Litter, The Hungry Crane, The Industrious Scarabs, The Sphinx Puzzles, The Camel Trains.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 M • Meinerzhagen ● ●
 G • Goch

18
4

Meinerzhagen qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Arnhem, Netherlands:
staged on Wednesday 18th July 1973

The Host Town

Meinerzhagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen

Meinerzhagen is a town with a population of around 21,000 inhabitants in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is located in the hills of the Sauerland, 84km (52 miles) north of Koblenz, 85km (53 miles) east of Mönchengladbach, 95km (59 miles) south of Münster and 124km (77 miles) west of Homberg.

It originally received town rights from King Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786) in 1765. However, in 1865, the town abandoned them to save on administrative costs. In 1846, the Amt Meinerzhagen was formed, covering both Meinerzhagen and the municipality of Valbert. On 19th September 1964, Meinerzhagen received town rights again. In the communal reform of the Altena district in 1969, Meinerzhagen was merged with Valbert and the Amt Meinerzhagen was dissolved.

The coat of arms of Meinerzhagen dates back to at least 1857, as the town hall built in 1857 shows it above its entrance door. The coat of arms had a green bottom part, above and to the left was Saint Mary on a throne holding a sceptre and Jesus as an infant. To the right was a building with three towers and red roofs above which was the sun and two stars.

Today, the coat of arms of Meinerzhagen shows a red lion as the symbol of the Berg dukedom, placed on a blue Andreas cross on yellow ground referring to the von Badinghagen family, which died out in the 17th century. The bottom part of the coat of arms shows the red-and-white chequered bordure as the symbol of the Grafschaft Mark county. A yellow horn is placed on top of the bordure, taken from the coat of arms of the municipality Valbert. This coat of arms was granted and adopted on 14th June 1975.

The family name of the British World War I officer Richard Meinertzhagen (1878-1967) is believed to stem from an ancestor who came from the town.

The Visiting Town

Goch is a town with a population of around 38,000 inhabitants in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and is located 122km (76 miles) north-west of Meinerzhagen.

The Venue

Stadion Meinerzhagen

The games were played at Meinerzhagen stadium which is home to both RSV Meinerzhagen 1921 e.V (Rasensportverein Meinerzhagen 1921 eingetragener Verein) professional and amateur football clubs.

Very little can be researched about the stadium but what is known is that, after renovation during the latter part of the 20th century, it now incorporates an open-air leisure pool and hardcore sports ground.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Queen Nefertiti’s Headdress
(Die Kopfschmuck von Königin Nofretete)

The first game - ‘Queen Nefertiti’s Headdress’ (Die Kopfschmuck von Königin Nofretete) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured two female competitors from each team and a large unadorned head of Queen Nefertiti. On the whistle, the first competitor had to remove a rope from a large basket and then traverse a 10m (32ft 9¾in) course, comprised of elasticated ropes passing through the head of a large tennis racquet, in order to reach Nefertiti. On arrival, she had to wrap the rope around the neck several times (to represent a necklace and then secure it at the rear. Contemporaneously, the second competitor had to repeat the process but with a rope attached to a headscarf. She then had to do the same with the headscarf around the upper part of the headdress. The second competitor then had to return to the start and collect another headscarf and repeat the process. Once the first competitor had secured the ‘necklace’ in place, she then had to return to the start to collect an ankh and then return to the head and place the base underneath the higher of the two headscarves. Once completed, she then had to return to the start and join her team-mate to finish the game. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which was completed without mishap by both teams with Meinerzhagen finishing in 2 minutes 1 second and Goch doing likewise in 2 minutes 8 seconds.

Game 2 - Transporting the Camels
(Transportieren der Kamele)

The second game - ‘Transporting the Camels’ (Transportieren der Kamele) - was played in unison over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured four male competitors from each team, two of which were disguised as the hind legs of dromedary camels. On the whistle, the two other competitors wearing large sandaled feet had to place two long bamboo canes across the humps of the camels and then load ten corn sacks on top of them. Once achieved, they then had to stand astride the necks of the camels and lift them up and walk the camels down a straight 40m (131ft 2¾in) course. Once completed, the sacks had to be discarded and the camels turned around. They then had to race back to the start to finish the game. The teams could only move down the course with all ten sacks on board. If any fell to the ground whilst in transit, the team had to stop and rebuild the pile before continuing. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Although at first glance this straightforward game appeared to ‘run-of-the-mill’, the ingenuity of designer Willi Steinberg ensured that it would not be. From the outset, both teams were determined to get ahead of the other by any means but, in their haste, neither ensured that their pile was solid before moving down the course. This resulted in both suffering mishaps throughout the outward journey. Despite this, it was Meinerzhagen that were first to reach the end of the course after 2 minutes 9 seconds of elapsed time. Having discarded the sacks, the team raced back to the start without mishap and completed the game in 2 minutes 33 seconds. Contemporaneously, Goch were still experiencing problems reaching the end of the course, but despite the outcome of the game already having been decided, the referees permitted play to continue. Having reached the end of the course after 3 minutes 12 seconds, the team turned around and raced back to the start. However, time was already against them and just 2m (6ft 6¾in) short of the finish line, the whistle was sounded and Goch were deemed out of time.

Game 3 - The Egyptian Hieroglyphs
(Die Ägyptischen Hieroglyphen)

The third game - ‘The Egyptian Hieroglyphs’ (Die Ägyptischen Hieroglyphen) - was played individually over 1 minute 45 seconds duration and featured a large wall covered with hieroglyphs and five competitors (one male and four females) from each team facing forward and standing between six movable life-size hieroglyphic slave figurines, each of which was holding aloft a section of drainage guttering. On the whistle, a male team-mate had to place a ball into the end of the guttering and the first female had to manipulate the left arm of the first figurine (by pulling down) to lower the guttering in order for the ball to descend and move along the wall. Contemporaneously, she also had to lower the right arm of the second figurine to meet the ball as it descended. She then had to raise the right arm of the second figurine (by pushing up) in order to move the ball along the wall. The second competitor then had to repeat her actions to move it along to the third figurine and the process then had to be repeated by the third, fourth and fifth competitors. The raising of the sixth figurine’s left arm would lower the guttering and the ball would fall into a large container. Each team had a maximum of 30 balls to transport along the wall but any that fell off the guttering during its course could not be retrieved and any that were not used would not be counted in their final total. The team transporting the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this unusual but simple game saw the participation of Goch and they transported a total of 23 balls along the wall and into the container.

The second heat featured Meinerzhagen and they were not as adept as their rivals in manipulating the guttering and could only transport a total of 18 balls.

Game 4 - The Sandstone Blocks
(Die Sandsteinblöcke)

The fourth game - ‘The Sandstone Blocks’ (Die Sandsteinblöcke) - was played in unison over four minutes duration and featured six male competitors from each team equipped with six individual wheels on half-axles and two sandstone blocks measuring 2m x 2m x 2m (6ft 6¾in x 6ft 6¾in x 6ft 6¾in). On the whistle, with three competitors on either side, the block had to be tipped forward by the rear two competitors whilst the front two pairs of competitors placed their wheels underneath. The block then had to be rolled forward whilst the rear two competitors ran forward and placed their wheels underneath. Each pair of competitors then had to repeat the process of running forward and placing their wheels whilst traversing a 40m (131ft 2¾in) straight course. After reaching the end of the course, the team then had to run back to the start and repeat the game with the second block. If the block fell to the ground at any time, the team had to restart the game by adopting the original starting procedure of tipping the block forward onto the wheels. The team transporting both blocks in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game with a very close finish and saw Meinerzhagen take an early lead and complete the first journey after 1 minute 21 seconds of elapsed time, nine seconds ahead of Goch in 1 minute 30 seconds. The second journey saw Goch close the deficit and take the lead which they then maintained for the remainder of the game. However, a final push from Meinerzhagen in the latter stages saw them cross the finish line just 1m (3ft 3¼in) behind their rivals. Goch were deemed to have crossed the finish line in 3 minutes 6 seconds with Meinerzhagen doing likewise one second later, in 3 minutes 7 seconds.

Game 5 - Unwrapping the Mummies
(Auswickeln der Mumien)

The fifth game - ‘Unwrapping the Mummies’ (Auswickeln der Mumien) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured five competitors (four males and one female) from each team and an effigy of a mummy wrapped in a 100m long bandage. On the whistle, whilst three of the males raised the mummy above their heads, the fourth had to grab hold of the end of the bandage and take it to the female who was standing on a podium, 5m (16ft 6¾in) in front of them, and then had to return to join them behind a small barred fence. The female then had to start to wrap the entire bandage around her body whilst the four males rotated the mummy to unwrap it from its dressing. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which, although proving to be a closely run contest, saw Meinerzhagen take the lead during the latter stages and complete in 2 minutes 22 seconds, twenty-two seconds ahead of Goch in 2 minutes 44 seconds.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Wine Waiters
(Die Weinkellner)

There was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as wine waiters and ended with Goch collecting five coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 500, 1 x 400 and 2 x 100 = 1,900 Deutsche Mark (approximately £269 at time of recording) whilst Meinerzhagen collected seven coins - 1 x 300, 2 x 200 and 4 x 100 = 1,100 Deutsche Mark (approximately £156).

Comparative value in 2020: £269 = £2,275 whilst £156 = £1,319.

Game 6 - The Pharaoh’s Litter
(Die Sänfte des Pharaos)

The sixth game - ‘The Pharaoh’s Litter’ (Die Sänfte des Pharaos) - was played in unison over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team and an effigy of Pharaoh Akhenaten seated on his throne. On the whistle, two male team-mates had to raise the throne off the ground whilst the two competitors had to place two long poles on their shoulders. The throne then had to be placed on the poles and transported down a 40m (131ft 2¾in) obstacle course comprising eight small hurdles. Once completed, the team had to turn around and repeat the course in the opposite direction. If the pharaoh tumbled to the ground, the two team-mates could run to their assistance and reposition it on the poles. The team completing the return journey in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple, straightforward and almost uneventful game which saw Meinerzhagen complete the outward journey without mishap after 1 minute 4 seconds of elapsed time with Goch doing likewise after 1 minute 14 seconds. With the ten-second advantage, Meinerzhagen continued at a steady pace whilst Goch threw caution to the wind and were almost able to close the deficit. Meinerzhagen crossed the finish line in 1 minute 56 seconds with Goch completing the game, two seconds later, in 1 minute 58 seconds.

Game 7 - The Hungry Crane
(Der Hungrige Kranich)

The seventh game - ‘The Hungry Crane’ (Der Hungrige Kranich) - was played individually over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a female competitor from each team dressed as a crane with an over-emphasised neck and beak protruding outwards from her head. On the whistle, the competitor had to walk along a semicircular path of 22 individual blocks in front of which were 35 scarabs lying on the ground. As the competitor traversed the path, she had to bend down and burst the body of each scarab (in reality a balloon) with a spike protruding from the end of the beak. The scarabs could be burst in any order but only whilst the competitor was standing on the blocks. If the competitor fell from any block, she would have to return to the beginning of that block before continuing. Competitors were not permitted to hold the neck of the crane at any time. The team bursting all the balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simple and straightforward game saw the participation of Meinerzhagen and they completed the game without any mishap in 1 minute 23 seconds.

The second heat featured Goch and, after a couple of small mishaps, they completed the course in 1 minute 35 seconds.

Game 8 - The Industrious Scarabs
(Die Fleißigen Skarabäen)

The eighth game - ‘The Industrious Scarabs’ (Die Fleißigen Skarabäen) - was played in unison over two return journeys and witnessed Meinerzhagen presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team dressed as a scarab and lying facedown on a small three-wheeled trolley. On the whistle, the competitor had to push a giant ball with the antennae of the scarab down a 40m (131ft 2¾in) course by guiding the trolley with his gloved hands and padded knees. At the end of the course, the team had to turn around and return to the start in the same manner. After crossing the original start line, the team then had to complete another return journey. To ensure that the ball remained in the allotted playing area, the teams could be assisted by a male-team but he would only be permitted to use his torso to keep the ball in play. The team completing the return journey in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game which saw Goch surprisingly cover the first outward journey in 34 seconds, one second ahead of Meinerzhagen in 35 seconds. Having closed the deficit, Meinerzhagen were the first team to complete the first return journey after 1 minute 10 seconds of elapsed time, with Goch doing likewise after 1 minute 13 seconds. The second outward journey saw Meinerzhagen increase their lead and they crossed the line in 1 minute 51 seconds, fifteen seconds ahead of Goch. With a commanding lead, Meinerzhagen did not sit on their laurels and raced to the finish line and crossed it in 2 minutes 36 seconds, twenty-two seconds ahead of Goch who finished in 2 minutes 58 seconds. 

Game 9 - The Sphinx Puzzles
(Die Sphinx-Puzzle)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Sphinx Puzzles’ (Die Sphinx-Puzzle) - was played in unison over 3 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed Goch presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two female competitors from each team and a half-finished face of a sphinx. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together and place thirty numbered (1-30) random-shaped pieces onto corresponding numbered areas marked out on the right hand side of the sphinx’s face. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Meinerzhagen begin to take a commanding lead after 30 seconds of elapsed time. With little significant progress being made by Goch to close the deficit, their rivals stormed ahead and finished the jigsaw in 2 minutes 37 seconds. Although the result had already been decided, the referees permitted Goch to continue and they finished the game in 3 minutes 11 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Meinerzhagen (2pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Goch (0pts / Joker / 4pts)

Game 10 - Camel Trains
(Die Karawanen)

The tenth and final game - ‘The Camel Trains’ (Die Karawanen) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured eight male competitors from each team, four of whom were disguised as the hind legs of dromedary camels and bent over inside the costume using mini-stilts attached to their hands to operate the front legs. On the whistle, the team had to traverse a straight 40m (131ft 2¾in) course and, using the front feet, the lead competitor had to burst 20 balloons which were laid out on the ground at regular intervals. Once the team had achieved this, they then had to cross a line at the end of the course. After being given a signal by the referees, the remaining four competitors had to transport three ‘non-human’ camels down the same course and cross the line. One of the four then had to attach a line to the rear camel of the original four and then all eight competitors and camels had to race back to the start and cross the finish line. A 10-second penalty would be incurred for each balloon not burst in the correct manner. The team completing the game in the faster aggregate time would be declared the winners.

This was a straightforward game with an exciting finish and saw Meinerzhagen take an early lead which they maintained throughout. The first leg of the course saw Meinerzhagen cross the line after 43 seconds of elapsed time, followed by Goch after 49 seconds. After racing down the course with the three camels, Meinerzhagen crossed the line after one minute exactly, followed by Goch five seconds later. It then appeared that Meinerzhagen were having some difficulty in tethering the camels together and this permitted Goch to reduce the deficit and saw teams setting off on the final leg at the exact same time. Despite a mishap on the journey by both teams, they crossed the finish line together in 1 minute 30 seconds. However, when the result was announced, Goch had incurred a penalty of 10 seconds for bursting one of the balloons with the hind leg of the camel instead of the front.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Meinerzhagen (2pts awarded / 18pts total) 2nd Goch (0pts / 4pts)

Additional Information

After winning through to Jeux Sans Frontières, Meinerzhagen competitor Klaus Guthof was promoted and joined Walter Haverkamp as co-team coach for the International heat.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 6

Event Staged: Sunday 20th May 1973
Venue: Marktplatz (Market Square), Werl, Nordrhein-Westfalen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 20th May 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Peter Hochrath, Gerd Siepe and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Hot and Sunny

Theme: Im Disneyland (In Disneyland)

Teams: Stadthagen v. Werl

Team Members included:

Stadthagen - Wolfgang Hiesinger (Team Coach), Rolf Aust, Peter Heder;
Werl - Werner Rinsche (Team Manager), Klaus Ittermann (Team Coach), Marianne Bethge, Theodor Blume, Hubert Fuchs, Ursula Jensen, Jürgen Klauwunn, Silvia Klinger, Gerd Klötter, Günter Korf, Ursula Kümpel, Eberhard Mühr, Michael Peters, Günter Pieperhoff, Norbert Reher, Ulrich Reiter, Wolfgang Schröer, Regina Schüler, Willi Stehmann, Annette Steinau, Rainer Weber.

Games: Mickey Mouse and the Balloons, King Louie and the Coconuts, Goofy and the Scooter, Donald Duck and his Money, Baloo and the Honey, The Nephews’ Footprints, Napoleon and Frou Frou, Goofy and Daniel, The Seven Dwarfs’ Bedtime, Pluto’s Bones.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 W • Werl ● ●
 S • Stadthagen

16
8

Werl qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Blankenberge, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 15th August 1973

The Host Town

Werl, Nordrhein-Westfalen

Werl is a town with a population of around 31,000 inhabitants in the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. It is located 32km (20 miles) east of Dortmund, 45km (28 miles) south of Warendorf, 75km (47 miles) north of Siegen and 87km (54 miles) west of Warburg.

Werl was first mentioned around AD 850 in a document about salt production in the area of Rithem. The town was lying on a ledge of the Haar to the north, making it an ideal location for a castle. The counts of Werl moved from Meschede to Werl around AD 900 and built the Werl castle. Around AD 950, a cross-shaped proprietary church was built by Count Hermann I on the private grounds of the feudal lord. In 1197, the church was given to the Premonstratensians (similar to the Order of White Canons in UK and Ireland) in Arnsberg.

In 1218, the village of Werl was granted town rights by Archbishop Engelbert I of Cologne (1186-1225). From 1272, the town was administered by a council constitution. The council consisted of 2 mayors and 10 councillors. These were chosen from four guilds - Erbsälzer (the upper-classes), merchants, bakers and farmers. The Erbsälzer had the privilege to put forward one of the mayors and five of the councillors. The resulting tensions were not corrected until 1725 with the departure of the Erbsälzer from the town association.

In 1738, 43 houses burned down on Steinerstrasse, from the bell pharmacy along to the Glockenwirtshaus. An arson attack during the night of the 17/18th May 1744 in Kämperstraße caused further damage to 44 houses. The arsonist, a twenty-year-old tailor's journeyman, was later apprehended and executed in Olpe.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), the town was blitzed several times. The first bombs fell on the 14th July 1940 when some residential buildings in Hermann-Göring-Straße (today Langenwiedenweg) were damaged. On 19th April 1944, 132 people died and 134 were injured when American bombers attacked the town to disable the Werl military airfield . About 60 aircraft attacked in three waves and dropped about 2000 fire and 1200 explosive bombs within a period of about ten minutes. Although a large number of the bombs hit the airport and surrounding fields, a total of 233 buildings were destroyed or damaged.

The most prominent building in the town is the JVA complex located in the north of the town. Located on a ten-hectare site, the perimeter fence is surrounded by six-metre high wall with six observation towers. The courtyards within the institute are partially surrounded by electronic alarm fences. With 863 detention places, the JVA Werl is one of the largest penal institutions in Germany.

The four-wing, four-storey cross building in panoptic arrangement was built from 1906 and opened on 1st July 1 1908 as the Königlich-Preußisches Zentralgefängnis (Royal Prussian Central Prison). Later, it was renamed the Zuchthaus und Sicherungsanstalt und Strafanstalt (The Penitentiary and Security and Detention Centre), until given its current title of Justizvollzugsanstalt or JVA (Correctional Institution).

In the shortened south-western wing of the asylum, the church is housed with a retracted, rectangular tower. The exterior of the building is structured by alternating plaster surfaces and brick-faced masonry. Outside the complex, one and two-storey houses stand along the inlaid walls. They were built from 1906 to 1908 for the servants. In the post-war period, the prison served as Britisches Militärgefängnis oder Kriegsverbrechergefängnis (British Military Prison or War Crimes Prison). Here, the condemned war and Nazi criminals from the Nazi trials in the British Zone served their prison sentences. In some cases the death penalty was carried out.

In 2007, an extension was to commence with factory halls being built (including renovation of the institutional bakery and locksmith shop). The plans had to be changed several times, including the cell size (to include a wet area and a kitchenette) to 20m². The required construction area included the demolition of a number of service buildings of the employees. This was of particular noteworthiness because the houses were listed and the residents were assured that they would not be demolished. However, after much legal wrangling, the plans were changed for a final time and the houses still stand today.

Interestingly, until 1947 there was no garbage collection in the town. The waste generated would be burned in households in ovens and stoves. Ashes and residual waste were stored in a (often bricked) open pit. This brought with it unpleasant smells and vermin. Several times a year, the pits were dug and the garbage transported by carts to the garbage dumps on Neheimerstraße or Blumenthalerweg. On 12th April 1946, the local council unanimously decided to introduce garbage collection.

The Visiting Town

Stadthagen is a town with a population of around 22,000 inhabitants in the state of Niedersachsen and is located 122km (76 miles) north-east of Werl.

The Venue

Marktplatz

The games were played in the Marktplatz located in the centre of the town. Unfortunately, very little can be researched on the location but what is known is the five most prominent buildings on the marketplace are the old Town Hall (now the Bären-Apotheke [Bear’s Pharmacy]), the Wallfahrtbasilika (Basilica of Our Lady of the Visitation), the Amtsgericht (Magistrates’ Court), the church of St. Walburga and the Volksbank Hellweg, all of which could be seen during the transmission of this Spiel Ohne Grenzen programme.

Since 1988, the Siederfest (Boiler Festival) has taken place annually on the market square and in the pedestrian precinct. The programme consists of music and historical demonstrations of salt boiling which hark back to the town’s earlier salt production industry.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Mickey Mouse and the Balloons
(Mickey Maus und die Ballons)

The first game - ‘Mickey Mouse and the Balloons’ (Mickey Maus und die Ballons) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team wearing a Mickey Mouse head. On the whistle, the competitor had to use a quarter-sized penny-farthing bicycle to traverse a 40m (131ft 2¾in) slalom course and collect a pole with twenty balloons attached. He then had to cycle back to the start through the six slalom gates and then burst all the balloons on a spike hanging above the finish line. Once achieved, he then had to pedal a child’s tractor along the same course and repeat the process. The team bursting all 40 balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple game which saw Stadthagen take an early lead from the outset. Having completed the first return journey, they burst their first twenty balloons after 33 seconds of elapsed time with Werl just one second behind. However, events were about to change as the teams set off for the second heat. Halfway up the course, the Stadthagen tractor suffered a malfunction after 48 seconds resulting in the chain breaking. The game was subsequently halted, much to the dismay of the Werl competitor who had by this time overtaken and was now some metres ahead of his rival. A replacement tractor was brought in by stagehands and the two teams were repositioned to their locations at the time of the incident occurring resulting in Werl restarting about 5m (16ft 5½in) adrift. Despite this deficit, Werl had closed the gap within five seconds of the restart and both teams were neck and neck at the final turnaround. At this point, Werl appeared to be experiencing some difficulty with their vehicle and this permitted Stadthagen to race to the finish line unchallenged. Having rectified the problem, Werl raced to the finish line but were trailing by five seconds. Nevertheless, whilst Stadthagen struggled to burst their balloons, Werl nipped in and finished the game in 1 minute 35 seconds with Stadthagen doing likewise in 1 minute 51 seconds.

Game 2 - King Louie and the Coconuts
(König Louis und die Kokosnüsse)

The second game - ‘King Louie and the Coconuts’ (König Louis und die Kokosnüsse) - was played individually over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team dressed in an orangutan costume and fourteen male team-mates. On the whistle, the competitor had to collect up to four coconuts (in reality small balls) and carry them across a 30m (98ft 5¼in) long cloth bridge which was being supported by scaffold poles on the shoulders of the fourteen team-mates (seven on either side). After reaching the end of the bridge, any balls that had been transported successfully had to be placed in a large container. He then had to jump from the bridge and run back to the start and repeat the game throughout. The team collecting the greater number of coconuts would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Werl and they made five runs and collected a total of 18 coconuts (4 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3).

The second heat featured Stadthagen and they also made five runs and also collected a total of 18 coconuts (4 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3).

Game 3 - Goofy and the Scooter
(Goofy und der Roller)

The third game - ‘Goofy and the Scooter’ (Goofy und der Roller) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team wearing a Goofy head and equipped with a child’s scooter whose steering column was not stable. On the whistle, the competitor had to scooter up the same 40m (131ft 2¾in) slalom course utilised in the first game and return to the start. He then had to repeat the game on two more occasions. A ten-second penalty would be incurred for each slalom gate not passed through correctly. The team completing all three return journeys in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

This was the most simple of games which ended with Werl crossing the finish line in 1 minute 18 seconds and Stadthagen in 1 minute 27 seconds. However, the referees declared that whilst Werl had incurred two penalties and their overall time had increased to 1 minute 38 seconds, Stadthagen had incurred no penalties.

Game 4 - Donald Duck and his Uncle’s Money
(Donald Duck und das Geld seines Onkels)

The fourth game - ‘Donald Duck and his Uncle’s Money’ (Donald Duck und das Geld seines Onkels) - was played individually over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team dressed in a Donald Duck costume and an opposition male team member dressed as a canine felon. On the whistle, the competitor had to transport up to fifteen silver coins across a 20m (65ft 7½in) long balance beam and place them on a table at the end of the course. The opposition, standing at the end of the course, could throw up to three footballs per journey at the competitor to try and dislodge the coins or Donald from the balance beam. The team collecting the greater number of coins would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Stadthagen and although they made five runs, one of them was discounted after the competitor fell from the beam, and they collected a total of 60 coins.

The second heat featured Werl and they made four runs and also collected a total of 60 coins.

Game 5 - Baloo and the Honey
(Baloo und der Honig)

The fifth game - ‘Baloo and the Honey’ (Baloo und der Honig) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 15 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team in Baloo the Bear costumes and a tree full of honey. On the whistle, the first competitor, equipped with a small scoop, had to collect honey from the tree and run 5m (16ft 5in) and pour it into a bowl being held by the second competitor standing on a podium. Once the bowl was full, the second competitor then had to run 10m (32ft 9¾in) to the end of the course and empty the contents into a container before returning to the podium and recommencing the game. The team collecting the greater amount of honey would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which ended with Werl collecting 13kg (28lb 10½oz) of honey and Stadthagen collecting 11kg (24lb 4oz) of honey.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Valets
(Die Kammerdiener)

There was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as valets and ended with Werl collecting eight coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 500, 1 x 400, 1 x 300 1 x 200 and 3 x 100 = 2,500 Deutsche Mark (approximately £355 at time of recording) whilst Stadthagen collected four coins - 1 x 200 and 3 x 100 = 500 Deutsche Mark (approximately £71).

Comparative value in 2020: £355 = £3,000 whilst £71 = £600.

Game 6 - The Nephews’ Footprints
(Die Neffen Fußabdrücke)

The sixth game - ‘The Nephews’ Footprints’ (Die Neffen Fußabdrücke) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team dressed as the nephews of Donald Duck wearing Velcro soled webbed feet and a course littered with 40 Velcro footprints. On the whistle, the competitors had to run to the end of the 40m (131ft 2¾in) course and then turn around and begin stepping on the footprints and collecting as many as possible on each of their feet. The team with the greater number of footprints attached at the end of permitted time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple, straightforward and uneventful game which ended with Stadthagen collecting 26 footprints and Werl collecting 34 footprints.

Game 7 - Napoleon and Frou Frou
(Napoleon und Frou Frou)

The seventh game - ‘Napoleon and Frou Frou’ (Napoleon und Frou Frou) - was played alternately over three rounds and witnessed Werl presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team and an effigy of Napoleon astride Frou Frou mounted on a metal framework. On the whistle, one of the competitors had to place the effigy on a four-wheeled trolley and then the second competitor had to push the trolley down a course to a given point where it would come into contact with a small wall. The impact and sudden stop would cause the framework and effigy to then continue along a 15m (49ft 2½in) long podium. The distance covered would then be measured and the effigy collected and returned to the start. If the effigy fell from the podium or was pushed too far and over the end of the podium, no distance would be recorded for that run. The team covering the greatest aggregate distance would be declared the winners.

This was another straightforward game which saw Werl participating first in all three rounds and ended with an unusual scoring anomaly. In the first round, Werl covered a distance of 7.9m (25ft 11in) whilst Stadthagen covered 8.1m (26ft 7in).

The second heat would prove conclusive and ultimately decide the outcome of the game. Whilst Werl covered a further 8m (26ft 3in), the Stadthagen competitor failed to keep the trolley straight and it hit the wall at an angle and resulted in the effigy falling from the podium. With no distance covered their total remained at 8.1m.

The third heat was now purely theoretical unless disaster was also to strike Werl. However, no such calamity was to occur and the team covered a further 7.6m (24ft 11in), giving them a total of 23.5m (77ft 1in). Although only a miracle could save Stadthagen at this point, the team found themselves in a no-win situation. A distance of 15.5m was required to beat Werl but the podium was only 15m long and if they should exceed that distance, the run would not be counted in any case. Despite this, the team pushed the effigy the greatest of all the distances and reached the 9m (29ft 6¼in) mark, giving them a total of 17.1m (56ft 1¼in) covered.

Game 8 - Goofy and Gyro Gearloose
(Goofy und Daniel Düsentrieb)

The eighth game - ‘Goofy and Gearloose’ (Goofy und Daniel Düsentrieb) - was played in unison over two return journeys and featured two male competitors from each team, the first dressed as Goofy with a rectangular container strapped around his abdomen and the second as a chicken called Daniel. On the whistle, the first competitor had to bend down and place his hands on a two-wheeled axle whilst the other lifted his legs into the classic pose of a wheelbarrow. The second competitor then had to push his team-mate down a 40m (131ft 2¾in) straight course where twenty silver coins, ten water canisters and twenty hip flasks were located. He then had to load the container on his team-mate’s back with as many of the items of his choice and then return to the start. Once unloaded, the team had to repeat the game and collect the remaining items. The team collecting all fifty items in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was the most straightforward of all the games in this heat and at the end of the first return journey, the teams were level on time. Although both teams were still neck and neck at the final turn around, Werl set off for the finish line first after Stadthagen appeared to be having difficulty in loading their container. The game ended with Werl crossing the line in 1 minute 28 seconds with Stadthagen doing likewise in 1 minute 45 seconds. 

Game 9 - The Seven Dwarfs’ Bedtime
(Die Schlafenszeit der Sieben Zwerge)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Seven Dwarfs’ Bedtime’ (Die Schlafenszeit der Sieben Zwerge) - was played individually over five minutes duration and featured seven male competitors from each team dressed as dwarfs and seven named beds in a line. On the whistle, the first competitor had to place a duvet on the first bed and return to the start. The second competitor then had to climb over the first bed and place a duvet on the second bed and also return to the start. The third competitor then had to climb over the first and second beds and place a duvet on the third bed. This then had to be repeated by the remaining four dwarfs until each bed had a duvet upon it and all competitors were back at the start. The first competitor then had to take a large pillow and place it on the first bed and climb into bed with the duvet on top of him. The second competitor then had to climb over the first bed and competitor and place a pillow on the second bed and get under the duvet. The third competitor then had to climbed over the first bed and competitor and then over the second bed and competitor and place the pillow on the third bed and get under the duvet. This then had to be repeated until all seven dwarfs were in bed with duvets on top of them. The competitors could only start their second run once the previous competitor was fully in bed and under the duvet. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of saw the participation of Werl and they completed the first half of the game in 1 minute 33 seconds and finished the game without mishap in 4 minutes 25 seconds.

The second heat featured Stadthagen and although they completed the first half of the game in 1 minute 28 seconds, they were slower in the execution of the second half and finished the game in 4 minutes 31 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (2pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Stadthagen (0pts / 4pts)

Inspiration for the Game: This game was based on the title characters from Walt Disney’s first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film, made in 1937, featured the seven short-statured diamond mine workers - Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy - aptly named for their appearance and demeanour.

Comments: This game was played out to the strains of two of the songs from the film on which it was based - Whistle While You Work and Heigh-Ho! Heigh-Ho!

Game 10 - Pluto’s Bones
(Plutos Knochen)

The tenth and final game - ‘Pluto’s Bones’ (Plutos Knochen) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Stadthagen presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team lying face down inside a Pluto costume. On the whistle, the competitor had to use his hands (which were the front paws of the dog) to manoeuvre the costume up a 40m (131ft 2¾in) course to collect the first of two bones lying on the ground. Once collected, he then had to transport the bone back to the start by guiding it with his hands. The game then had to be repeated. The team collecting the two bones in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Stadthagen establish a lead soon after the start. Having completed their first run in 30 seconds (Werl in 34 seconds), they crossed the finish line in 1 minute 16 seconds with Werl doing likewise in 1 minute 27 seconds.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Werl (0pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Stadthagen (4pts / Joker / 8pts)

Inspiration for the Game: This game was based on the character of Pluto, a yellow-orange coloured, medium-sized, short-haired dog with black ears. Unlike most of Disney’s characters, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression. His first appearance was in The Chain Gang, an animated short film produced in 1930 for Columbia Pictures.

Reunions

Werl

During May 2013, the seven surviving members of the original Werl team got together for a 40th anniversary reunion in the Marktplatz, venue of their 1973 Spiel Ohne Grenzen Domestic heat.

Additional Information

After winning through to Jeux Sans Frontières, Werl competitor Theodor Blume was promoted and joined Klaus Ittermann as co-team coach for the International heat.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives

D

Spiel Ohne Grenzen 1973

Heat 7

Event Staged: Sunday 27th May 1973
Venue: Lahnufer (Banks of the Lahn), Marburg an der Lahn, Hessen, West Germany

Transmission:
WDR 1 (D): Sunday 27th May 1973, 4.10-5.25pm (Live)

Referees on Duty:
Peter Hochrath, Gerd Siepe and Werner Treichel

Weather Conditions: Very Hot and Sunny

Theme: Geisterstunde (The Witching Hour)

Teams: Marburg an der Lahn v. Pfullingen

Team Members included:
Marburg an der Lahn - Karl Blokk (Team Coach), Ulrich Becker, Yutte Braun-Elvett, Karl Finger, Reiner Flanten, Otto Geitz, Ludwig Gleichmann, Walter Jung, Werner Kermann, Karl-Heinz Kuhn, Rolf Michel, Otto Muller, Barbel Peters, Klaus Reitsel, Otto Schrittner, Eva Spalmann;
Pfullingen - Hubert Breckel (Co-Team Coach), Hermann Mollenkopf (Co-Team Coach), Heinz Benz, Gerhard Böhmler, Birgit Enßlin, Wolf Eberhard, Stefan Frey, Wilhelm Haydt, Evelin Hild, Hans Joachim Klug, Walter Kurrle, Albert Mollenkopf, Robert Röcker, Horst Rueß, Wolfram Steinhilber, Walter Walliser, Walter Ziegelmüller.

Games: The Castle Ghost, Ghosts in Boats, The Ghostly Bottles, The Ghost in the Chest, Fight the Ghost!, The Growing Ghosts, The Jerking Table, The Giant Ghostly Hand, The Castle Butler, The River Ghosts.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 M • Marburg an der Lahn ● ●
 P • Pfullingen

20
4

Marburg an der Lahn qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bristol, Great Britain:
staged on Wednesday 1st August 1973

The Host Town

Marburg an der Lahn, Hessen

Marburg an der Lahn is a university city with a population of around 74,000 inhabitants in the state of Hessen. It straddles the Lahn river and is located 77km (48 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main, 103km (64 miles) south of Paderborn, 117km (73 miles) east of the former capital of Bonn and 161km (100 miles) west of Erfurt.

Marburg an der Lahn has been a town since 1140, as proven by coins, but has only had town privileges since 1222. It originally served as capital of the landgraviate of Hessen-Marburg during periods of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries.

After 1605, Marburg an der Lahn became just another provincial city, known mostly for the University of Marburg, established in 1527. It became a virtual backwater for two centuries after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), when it was fought over by Hessen-Darmstadt and Hesse-Kassel. The Hessian territory around Marburg an der Lahn lost more than two-thirds of its population, which was more than in any later wars, including World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) combined.

Owing to its neglect during the entire eighteenth century, it survived as a relatively intact Gothic town, simply because there was no money spent on any new architecture or expansion.

Marburg an der Lahn is known as the ‘Staircase Town’, as the Upper and Lower parts are connected by a series of steps, some of which lead through narrow winding alleys. It is also associated with the Brothers Grimm (Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859), the authors of the well-known fairy tales, who studied law in the city.

The city's name is connected to a filovirus, the Marburgvirus, because this disease, a viral hemorrhagic fever resembling ebola, was first recognized and described during an outbreak in the city. In 1967, workers at the city's former industrial plant, the Behring-Werke, were accidentally exposed to infected green monkey tissue. During the outbreak, 31 people became infected and seven of them died.

The Visiting Town

Pfullingen is a town with a population of around 19,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg and is located 263km (163 miles) south of Marburg an der Lahn.

The Venue

Lahnufer

The games were played on a grassed area between Uferstraße and Hermann-Cohen-Weg on the banks of the 245km (152¼ miles) long River Lahn which runs through the town.

Although little can be researched on the actual venue, it is part of the Lahn riverside route which has many grassed areas for locals to relax and bathe in the river. As can be seen from the photograph below, the northern bank (venue side) has since gone through major redevelopment with houses now covering the games arena.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - The Castle Ghost
(Der Schloßgeist)

The first game - ‘The Castle Ghost’ (Der Schloßgeist) - was played individually over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured three male competitors, one equipped with a large ghoulish-headed pole, the other two with large poles, underneath a large white meshing. On the whistle, two female team-mates had to throw up to three items (small tables, large balls, wooden crates and cylindrical boxes) from the castle ramparts onto a netted shroud to be caught by the ‘ghost’. Once caught, they had to turn around and run 10m (32ft 9¾in) to a line and dispose of the items over it. Any items that fell from the shroud would not be counted neither would any that failed to be deposited over the line. The competitors would not be permitted to touch any item with their hands and if any became entangled in the shroud, they could use their feet to dislodge them. The team transporting the greater number of items across the line would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this simple game saw the participation of Pfullingen and although eighteen items had been thrown down by the team-mates, only 15 were transported across the line.

The second heat featured Marburg an der Lahn and they were slightly faster in their execution of the game and although twenty-one items had been thrown down, only 17 were transported across the line.

Game 2 - Ghosts in Boats
(Geister in Booten)

The second game - ‘Ghosts in Boats’ (Geister in Booten) - was played in unison on the Lahn river over four minutes duration and featured three male competitors from each team dressed as ghosts standing in three individual parts of a canoe. On the whistle, the first competitor had to paddle his canoe down a 30m (98ft 5¼in) course to a wire spanning the river. Once reached, the other two competitors then had to repeat the game simultaneously. Any competitor falling into the river would be deemed out of the game. The team completing the game and connecting the three parts of the canoe together in the faster time or the one with the greater number of competitors reaching the finish line would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game and one which would be ultimately decided on balancing skills. From the outset, Pfullingen took the lead and reached the wire after 1 minute 9 seconds of elapsed time followed by Marburg an der Lahn after 1 minute 24 seconds. Although Pfullingen had a fifteen-seconds advantage at this point, disaster struck when their third competitor tumbled into the water before setting off. This error had theoretically handed victory to Marburg an der Lahn, provided their final two competitors could hold their nerve and reach the wire without mishap within the permitted time. The second Pfullingen competitor reached the wire after 2 minutes 39 seconds followed by Marburg an der Lahn after 2 minutes 49 seconds. With adequate time remaining, the third Marburg an der Lahn competitor kept his composure and completed the game in 3 minutes 9 seconds.

Game 3 - The Ghostly Bottles
(Die Geisterhaften Flaschen)

The third game - ‘The Ghostly Bottles’ (Die Geisterhaften Flaschen) - was played in unison over three minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team inside a large net containing 38 balls within a large bottle-shaped cage. On the whistle, the competitor had to manoeuvre himself and the net of balls out through the neck of the bottle. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game with both competitors freeing themselves from the confines of the bottle within 50 seconds of elapsed time. It was now just a formality of pulling the net and remaining balls out of the bottle which Marburg an der Lahn executed in rapid time, completing the game in 1 minute 16 seconds with Pfullingen doing likewise five seconds later in 1 minute 21 seconds.

Game 4 - The Ghost in the Chest
(Der Geist in die Truhe)

The fourth game - ‘The Ghost in the Chest’ (Der Geist in die Truhe) - was played individually over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two female competitors from each team and a giant wooden chest inside an enclosed area. On the whistle, the competitors had to throw up to 60 items - consisting of clothing, bedding, coins and books - into the open chest. However, inside the chest was an opposition male team member who was tasked with throwing the items back out of the chest. Any items that were returned could be thrown back into the chest by the competitors. However, any items that were thrown outside the enclosed area by the opposition would be added to the competing team's score. At the end of the game, the opposition had to throw the remaining items out of the chest one-by-one so that they could be counted. To ensure that there were no underhand tactics, the referees stood on a box and peered inside to ensure that it was empty before announcing the official result. The team with the greater number of items remaining in the chest at the end of the game would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very simplistic game saw the participation of Pfullingen and they had six items thrown outside the enclosed area by the Marburg an der Lahn opposition and seventeen remaining inside the chest. They were deemed to have finished with a score of 23 items.

The second heat featured Marburg an der Lahn and they had ten items thrown outside the area by the Pfullingen opposition and an incredible 37 items remaining in the chest at the end of the game. They were deemed to have finished with a total of 47 items.

Game 5 - Fight the Ghost!
(Kämpfe der Geist!)

The fifth game - ‘Fight the Ghost!’ (Kämpfe der Geist!) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team equipped with rubber-ended poles and a large ‘floating’ ghost-shaped net filled with 100 balloons of varying sizes. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together and burst all the balloons with the nail protruding from the rubber ends of the poles. The team bursting all the balloons in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple, straightforward and uneventful game which was completed by Marburg an der Lahn in just 42 seconds.

Intermission Mini-Contest - The Waiters
(Die Kellner)

There was a short interlude before the next game for the Glücksspiel, full details of which can be found in Heat 1.

This heat saw the competitors dressed as waiters and ended with Pfullingen collecting six coins - 1 x 800, 1 x 400, 2 x 200 and 2 x 100 = 1,800 Deutsche Mark (approximately £256 at time of recording) whilst Marburg an der Lahn had also collected six coins - 1 x 500, 1 x 300, and 4 x 100 = 1,200 Deutsche Mark (approximately £171).

Comparative value in 2020: £256 = £2,165 whilst £171 = £1,445.

Game 6 - The Growing Ghosts
(Die Wachsenden Geister)

The sixth game - ‘The Growing Ghosts’ (Die Wachsenden Geister) - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team, two of which (one male and one female) were standing on a podium underneath a large ghost’s head attached to white meshing. On the whistle, the other male competitor had to throw small cubes to his team-mate who had to catch them with his hand through the mouth of the ghost and pull them through. He then had to stack the cube onto the podium and then stand atop. This was then repeated throughout and as the game progressed the ghost would begin to grow taller. The female would be on-hand to assist with the placement and straightening of the cubes as the tower grew. The team with the taller ghost at the final whistle would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple, straightforward and uneventful game which Marburg an der Lahn completed in 1 minute 35 seconds.

Game 7 - The Jerking Table
(Der Tische Ruckeln)

The seventh game - ‘The Jerking Table’ (Der Tische Ruckeln) - was played individually over one minute duration and witnessed Pfullingen presenting their Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team underneath a large table covered with a ghostly shrouded cloth which sat atop a tall wooden framework set on swivel casters. Attached to the perimeter of the table, there were two large chairs in which two opposition members (one male and one female) were strapped. On the table top itself, there were twenty-five various items - two large urns, four bottles, twelve honeydew melons, six plums and a three-stemmed candelabra. On the whistle, the competitors had to push the framework along a 10m (32ft 9¾in) course whilst the opposition had to prevent as few items as possible from being dislodged and ‘lost’. At the end of the course, the contraption then had to be turned around and pushed back to the start in the same manner and the game then had to be repeated. A one second penalty would be incurred for each item remaining on the table at the end of the game and this would be added to the time taken. The team completing the game in the faster overall time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Marburg an der Lahn with Pfullingen in opposition. The team were quite slow in their execution and this permitted Pfullingen to protect most of the items from falling to the ground. Marburg an der Lahn completed the game in 48 seconds but had only dislodged three of the items and therefore incurred a penalty of 22 seconds which was added to their score, giving them an overall total time of 70 seconds.

The second heat featured Pfullingen with Marburg an der Lahn in opposition and they executed the game at a much faster pace and this resulted in more of the items becoming dislodged than in the first heat. Pfullingen completed the game in 34 seconds but incurred a penalty of 18 seconds for the items remaining on the table, giving them an overall total time of 52 seconds.

Game 8 - The Giant Ghostly Hand
(Die Riesigen Geisterhafte Hand)

The eighth game - ‘The Giant Ghostly Hand’ (Die Riesigen Geisterhafte Hand) - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Marburg an der Lahn presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors (one dressed as a ghost) from each team and a large static hand with four stretchable fingers. On the whistle, the first competitor had to run 8m down to the end of the course and crawl into the wrist end of the hand and into one of the middle fingers. He then had to walk on his hands and knees and stretch the finger along the course back to the start line. Once completed, the ‘ghost’ had to place a large ruby ring onto the finger and pull it along the finger and over the knuckles to a given point and then return to the start. Contemporaneously, the second competitor had to run to the end of the course and climb into the outside finger of the hand and repeat the game in the same manner. The team completing both runs in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and fast-paced game which saw Marburg an der Lahn take the lead from the outset. Having completed their first run in just 32 seconds as opposed to the 42 seconds taken by Pfullingen, their second competitor and ghost finished the game in 1 minute 13 seconds, followed by Pfullingen in 1 minute 36 seconds. 

Game 9 - The Castle Butler
(Der Schloßbutler)

The ninth and penultimate game - ‘The Castle Butler’ (Der Schloßbutler) - was played individually over four minutes duration and featured a blindfolded male competitor from each team dressed as a butler and a ‘room’ filled with wooden podia. On the whistle, the competitor had to choose any of nine items of furniture - a large storage chest, a table, a coat stand, a large vase, two chairs, a wardrobe, a framed picture and a chest of drawers - in the entrance hall of the castle and place it onto its designated podium. The items could be chosen at random but there was only one correct solution. The team completing the game in the faster time or with the greater number of correctly placed items would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of Pfullingen and it proved to be very laborious to watch. After placing a chair onto its podium after 28 seconds of elapsed time, the competitor then fumbled his way throughout the game attempting to find the correct podium for the table. After three minutes of play, he eventually conceded with his efforts and returned to the start and chose the picture frame, which he successfully hung onto its hook after 3 minutes 42 seconds. With limited time remaining, he again attempted to find the podium for the table but in doing so knocked the chair over. At the end of the game, Pfullingen were deemed to have placed just one item correctly.

The second heat featured Marburg an der Lahn and it was a completely different story to that of the first. After placing the chair on its podium after 27 seconds, the competitor then returned with the table and did the same after 1 minute 7 seconds of elapsed time. A third success was achieved after 1 minute 54 seconds when the second chair was placed on its podium and this was followed by the picture being hung after 2 minutes 31 seconds. Following an abandoned attempt to find the correct podium for the large chest, the competitor chose the hat stand which he correctly placed after 3 minutes 54 seconds. At the final whistle, Marburg an der Lahn were deemed to have correctly placed 5 items.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (2pts awarded / 18pts total) 2nd Pfullingen (0pts / 4pts)

Comments: Each item of furniture was designated to stand on its own particular pallet or podium in the room. Before each of the heats commenced, a stagehand would mix them around so that the competitors could not memorise their position before participating. Following the announcement of the result and the awarding of the points, a long shot of the crowd witnessed several members of the audience already making their way to the exit!

Game 10 - The River Ghosts
(Die Flussgeister)

The tenth and final game - ‘The River Ghosts’ (Die Flussgeister) - was played individually over seven runs and featured seven male competitors dressed as ghosts and 20 floating podia stretched out across the river. On the whistle, each of the competitors took it in turn to run across the river on the podia. Each of the podia were numbered from 1-20 and a successful run from bank to bank would score 21. If a competitor fell into the water, the last podium stepped on would be deemed his score. The team with the greater aggregate score would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this very straightforward game saw the participation of Marburg an der Lahn and on their seven crossings they reached podia 21, 15, 21, 16, 17, 21, 21, respectively, giving them a total of 132.

The second heat featured Pfullingen and they reached podia 8, 21, 11, 21, 21, 21, 21, respectively on their seven crossings, giving them a total of 124.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Marburg an der Lahn (2pts awarded / 20pts total) 2nd Pfullingen (0pts / 4pts)

Additional Information

Two school sports teachers, Hermann Mollenkopf and Hubert Breckel, were the driving force behind the Pfullingen team which was brought together for this event. They commenced the selection of team members in January 1973, subjecting would-be competitors to a tough training regime. This involving countless hours of practice, some of which was carried out using inflatable apparatus in the Pfullingen outdoor pool. As these sessions progressed, the hopefuls were gradually whittled down to a team of fifteen athletes, comprising thirteen male and two female members.

Support from local businesses and the City Council led to the Pfullingen team having their team kits made specially by Büsing of Reutlingen, a company who had a history of outfitting Olympic teams, and who provided the team with their trademark Porolastic tracksuits.

The Pfullingen team, along with the city's Bürgermeister Kurt App, headed out to Marburg an der Lahn on Thursday 24th May 1973. Seven hundred supporters followed them by rail on the day of the event, departing from Pfullingen station at 7.30am.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in German archives