The Hessentag finished a month ago today, and yet the official events are not quite over.
In the end, around 1.4 million people came to Oberursel to visit the Hessentag, breaking the previous record with the procession on the last day alone having almost 4,000 participants.
Next week (25th-29th July) the remaining merchandise will be sold off in the foyer of the Rathaus.
And then… something typically German happens. A by-law called the Hessische Gemeindeordnung (HGO) contains a paragraph (§ 8a) which calls for something called a Bürgerversammlung – a citizen’s meeting. Such a meeting is taking place in the Stadthalle in Oberursel on Monday, 8th August, 2011 at 7pm.
Both supporters and critics of the Hessentag will be given the chance to put forward their opinions of the event, although I hope they do listen to the critics more than they did at the last information evening that I attended in December 2010.
Maybe the last word has not yet been heard…