Motorcyclists celebrate the start of the year at Augustusburg Castle

Despite the cold and snow, there was a loud roar at Augustusburg Castle near Chemnitz on Saturday. Hundreds of motorcyclists from Germany and beyond celebrated the start of the year in an electoral setting. "Zero degrees Celsius, frosty ground and a thin blanket of snow are ideal conditions," said Patrizia Meyn, Managing Director of Schlossbetriebs GmbH.

A total of 850 two-wheelers from Germany, as well as Poland, Finland and Sweden, were gathered for the 51st Winter Meeting, along with one or two crew members. Around 3,000 onlookers also came to the traditional meeting, which turned the castle grounds into a large paddock with a campsite, stage and warm-up station. According to Meyn, the response was lower than in the previous year - partly due to the prices for the campsite. "We had to increase them because the costs for a festival like this have also risen," she said.

The Renaissance castle on the northern edge of the Ore Mountains, which can be seen from afar and was once the hunting lodge of Saxon electors, is home to one of the largest motorcycle collections in Europe, documenting the history of the motorcycle since 1885. One focus is the development of the Saxon companies DKW, Auto Union and MZ. The winter biker gathering has been taking place since 1971. The program includes a biker church service in the chapel of the 16th century castle and a parts market - as well as talking shop during "petrol talks".