New security measures during annafest: pioneering kellerwald ideas?

For the annafest visitors on the lower cellars they are not to be overlooked: the high hanging signs "stand" and "go" and metal balls should guide festival visitors in the right direction. A few days before the start of the festival they were installed in front of the winterbauer cellar. The city’s public order department is testing new security measures this year. Some city councillors did not like the short term erection of fences and poles. But how have the controversial mabnahme preserved in the annafest turmoil?

No complaints so far

When it gets crowded in front of the winterbauer podium in the evening, the "through traffic" is on the move in fact, the 1.20 meter wide path between the music tribune and the bugels continues to be flussig. Security service employees check that everyone complies with the rules. "So far there have been no problems", a security man explains. Matthias mub, landlord of the winterbauer-keller, confirms: "the barriers worked well. There have been no restrictions as a result." So far neither guests nor employees of the security service had complained about the poles.

"The public order department and the city are very satisfied with the reactions so far and we think that the concept will stand the test of time", explains britta kurth, press spokeswoman for the city of forchheim.

The fears of some critics that there could be conflicts because of the bugels did not come true. Because there is still no escape route in the lower cellars, the silver poles are intended as a temporary solution to enable passage in the event of an emergency, explained klaus backer, head of the public order department.

The anthracite-colored fences on the wooden railings are also new. These fall protection devices are necessary for the entire cellar forest season outside the annafest, emphasized backer and referred to legal regulations. "Our visitors did not say anything negative about the fences. The construction is quite unobtrusive", sums up johanna werner, who serves at the kaiser-keller.

The CSU in forchheim is sticking to its criticism of the security measures: the christian socialists are mainly criticizing the fact that the measures had not been presented to the political committees beforehand.

Don’t jeopardize the charm

Not everything that seems necessary "has to be implemented 120 percent of the time", says CSU city council faction chairman udo schonfelder. "Discretionary powers should be exhausted if possible in order to preserve the identity of the cellar forest." The charm of the cellar forest must not be put at risk lightly. At the request of schonfelder, mdl michael hofmann (CSU) had obtained information from the responsible ministry: the authorities had not objected to the fencing in the cellar forest, but "had not demanded it in its form", says hofmann.

After ten days of festivities, many annafest visitors and cellar operators seem to have come to terms with the poles on the winterbauer podium and the fences: unknown persons attached two knitted bander to one of the silver bugels.