Knabenschiessen Zurich

8. September 2018

Today is Knabenschiessen in Zurich. If you are not Swiss, you are probably not familiar with it.

Knabenschiessen is a traditional target shooting competition in Zurich, which is held on the second weekend of September each year. The Monday is a half official public holiday for Zurich in that a lot of the businesses and all the schools close for the afternoon of the day.

The festival, officially held for the first time in 1889, is one of the oldest in Switzerland, dating back to the 17th century. It is a rifle shooting competition open to 13–17 year olds who either reside or are enrolled in a school in the canton of Zurich. Originally reserved for boys (Knaben) only, the competition has been open to girls since 1991. It  is held in the shooting range at Albisguetli to the south-west of the city center, on the slope of Uetliberg.

Also a part of the festival is a big carnival with many different rides and games. Below a beautiful impression of the carnival by Elan Schnider.

(image credit knabenschiessen.ch)
(content source wikipedia)