In 1653, local farmers brought their goods - onions, celery and leeks - to the market in Weimar for the first time - and by the 19th century, this had developed into a transhipment point for onions throughout central Germany.

 

Today, Weimar's onion market is the largest public festival in Thuringia with almost 600 stalls.
The focus of the festival, which is visited by around 300,000 guests every year, is of course the onion: artfully wrapped in the colourful panicles, chopped into small pieces on the cake or as a headdress for the onion market queen.

A music programme ranging from world, pop to folk music on large and small stages provides entertainment and lets visitors party late into the night.
In addition, the Weimar city run has been part of the festival programme since 1990.
More than 2000 runners come to complete the ten-kilometre lap or the half-marathon. The children's races start in the morning.