Place of the Cathedral

My name is Hans David Blum, and today I'm going to tell you a bit about my home town of Breisach. I know it like the back of my hand. 

Right now we're standing on the Münsterplatz, north of Stephansmünster Cathedral with its two mismatched towers. This square has seen many processions and religious spectacles. And in 1924, the Breisach Festival's summer theatre - Festspiele - premiered here with an open-air show – made up of amateur actors from the whole town! Until 1938, the festival was a major attraction, drawing people from far and wide every summer. The shows featured large-scale sets and historical dramas. 

Many members of our Jewish community performed in these pieces, side by side with Protestants and Catholics! They were given important roles in the plays of Friedrich Schiller and Wilhelm Fladt – until 1933. Among them were my friends Ludwig Dreyfuss, a businessman and dance teacher, Ferdinand Uffenheimer, a leather merchant, and Egon Blozheimer, a timber merchant. The three of them were founding members of the Festival! 

Later, Ida Frank joined the team. Ida was the first woman on the city council. That was in 1919 – she represented the Social Democratic Party! 

Later, in 1961, the festival moved to the small park on Schlossberg Hill, where Zähringen Castle stood until 1741.