European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Germany Tuc Granddaddy of bad Durkheim festival nearly 600 years old the fest offers service with a smile top photo and oomph music right. 74 stripes Magazine september 14-20, 1995 the Ferris wheel offers a sweeping View of the Fairgrounds above. A Vendor pours a liter of wine right you re never " too Young to enjoy a bite of Wurst far right. Is photos by Chuck Gohl byed Reavis staff writer the wine festival in find Durk Heirn Germany which the locals Call Wurst Markt sausage Marketis perhaps the Best known to american soldiers stationed in. Germany they come by the Busload and by train from As far away As Frankfurt and Hanau and of course from the entire Kaiserslautern Region said City spokesman Peter Gauweiler. \ Gauweiler swears his town holds the biggest wine festival in the country and claims it s the main Public event of the year in the Pfalz Region. Last year More than 600,000 visitors drank 250,000 liners of wine in 10 Days he said. According to Gauweiler the festival began about 570 years ago atop the nearby Michael s Hill but soon got so big they had to move it to the foot of the Hill. Today the Market has some 50 vintners vying for customers with More than 150 wines of the Pfalz. The wines Range from fruity Sweet to the drier types and most places serve it in forbidding half liter glasses. The vintners offer their products in Large Halls or tents and in the Small traditional tents with their Long scrubbed tables and benches. You can enjoy Fine wine in the More intimate atmosphere of the Weindorf wine Village set right smack in the Middle of the festival area. A Long food counter offers delicacies including the local specially Sau Magen sow belly it is also the favorite of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl also from the Pfalz who likes to ply High ranking foreign diplomats with the dish when they visit him in his Home in ogre Sherri near Mannheim. But if you Haven t the urge for sow belly other types of food Are no problem there Are stands offering Chicken chinese crepes Candy hamburgers pizza gyros hot dogs bratwurst waffles and fish. Surrounding All this is an array of rides games and stuffed Teddy bears to be won via lottery shooting galleries galleries to shoot basketballs and the usual carnival. Offerings. There is. Also the Wurst Markt exhibition which  display of what the local trades handicrafts and industries have to offer. It also shows die latest trends in building and furnishings in agriculture and environmental Protection. One end of the Fairgrounds is topped by a monster wine barrel converted into a two Story restaurant the other end by a great Ferris wheel that offers riders a View of the entire festival grounds and the Countryside itself. There is no admittance charge for the festival grounds " and unique in Germany it remains open As Long As the vintners care to remain. There Are people who actually sit Here All night with their friends and Are greeted at seven o clock in the morning by the next Batch of party goers Gauweiler said. Although it is an open ended Celebration things Are slower on wednesday and thursday with but a few of the tents and rides open Gauweiler said. But from Friday through monday the festivities will build up and finish with fireworks. There Are All kinds of music live and canned in the big tents and a number of Street bands at the Fairgrounds every Day. "./. Gauweiler believes bad Durk Heirn is one of the few big festivals in the country with not Only a Friendly but also a family atmosphere. As the local poet Karl Raer put it the Wurst Markt is the Only festival where you meet old friends you be never seen  come and see us Gauweiler said become one of our old friends.". The 10-Day festival ends monday with a fireworks display. Getting there take autobahn 6 to the Grunst