History

The largest fair in the Ore Mountains has a very special tradition to look back on.
In the year 1519, the cemetery located outside the city walls behind the hospital was dedicated in a celebratory ceremony by Bishop Johann VII von Meißen with holy earth from Rome. A papal bull declared that the Annaberg cemetery receive the same blessing, indulgence, and absolution as the "Campo Santo" (holy field) in Rome. Furthermore, the hospital church was dedicated to the trinity (holy trinity). Starting in 1520, a pilgrimage to the church and cemetery took place each year around the time of the trinity celebration. After the Reformation (1539), the nature of the festival evolved so that the pilgrimage first transformed into a summer celebration of the dead for Protestant purposes, and later became the annual fair and hubbub-filled event it is today.

Since the original fair grounds turned out to be too small, the celebration's location was moved to the Schützenwiese above the Schutzteich pond in 1869. The name "Kät" (pronounced like "Kate") comes from the vernacular pronunciation of the word "trinity" in German (Dreiaanigkät).

Now the one-week fair starts on the second Friday after the Pentecost each year. In addition to the modern carnival rides, shooting booths, and carnival game booths, seductive aromas also invite visitors to spend some time strolling about the fair.
The big final firework show on the last Saturday of KÄT is a highlight of the event.

pict.: archive Nier/Bartels