Full speed ahead to Strasbourg! The ‘Hirsebreifahrt’, 1797. — **Full speed ahead to Strasbourg! The ‘*Hirsebreifahrt’*, 1797.** Wikimedia

Hot porridge all the way from Zurich to Strasbourg: an oat-standing achievement

In 1456, a pot of millet porridge was transported by boat from Zurich to Strasbourg in a single day. It was still warm on arrival. The trip was repeated in 1576 and feted as a great achievement, but it mainly served to solidify the alliance between the two cities in a politically and religiously charged period.

Christophe Droesch

Christophe Droesch was born and raised in Alsace. He works as a translator and has translated numerous blog posts from German into French.

Strasbourg was a city-state in the Holy Roman Empire from the 13th to the 17th centuries. Like other free imperial cities it hosted shooting festivals, in keeping with the tradition of medieval tournaments. These grand occasions also served a diplomatic purpose: they displayed the power and prestige of the host city while honouring the guests and allied cities at the same time.

Zurich and Strasbourg had been cultivating ties since at least the 13th century. Both cities were members of the first Rhenish League of 1254, a military alliance formed among imperial towns for mutual defence. They drew closer still in 1455, when an irregular military formation, which included Zurich soldiers, freed merchants from Strasbourg who had been detained in Eglisau by members of the nobility from Hegau (Duchy of Swabia).

**A view of the city of Strasbourg in a chronicle from 1493.** Wikimedia

The following year, the shooting association in Strasbourg held a major festival, with Zurich representatives among the first names on the guest list. The Zurich delegation comprised young members of the shipmen’s guild and the shooting association. They made a bet that they could reach Strasbourg in a day by rowing boat – with a pot of millet porridge on board, which would still be warm on arrival.

Millet porridge was a popular dish in medieval Europe and the ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ event was named after it (‘journey with millet porridge’ in English). At that time, it normally took three to four days navigating the Limmat, Aare and Rhine to reach Strasbourg from Zurich by boat and twice as long by land. However, the spirited Zurich crew planned to forego the usual stopovers and complete the entire journey in one go.

It worked, as the men reached their destination in a mere 22 hours and were referred to thereafter by the chroniclers as “argonauts”. By accomplishing this feat, Zurich showed that it could deliver support to its ally promptly should the need arise. In fact, the porridge was so hot on arrival that it even burned the lips of the Strasburger who tasted it.

Deciding who to trust in times of change

By the 16th century, the two cities had drawn even closer together. There had been a temporary rift during the Swabian war, when Strasbourg sided with the Habsburgs against the Old Swiss Confederacy. However, during the ensuing decades both Zurich and Strasbourg officially embraced Protestantism and united against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Strasbourg again hosted a major shooting event in 1576. This was a time of religious tension in Europe, which was especially acute in Strasbourg and its environs, culminating in the outbreak of the Bishops' War there fifteen years later. The city therefore used the occasion to show how many allies it had – and chose to do so on the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Murten, in which Strasbourg and other Alsatian towns had sided with the Confederates against the Duke of Burgundy.

Strasbourg spared no expense and put together a programme stretching over more than two-and-a-half months. The actual shooting festival took place in front of the city gates on the Schiessrain, where the Parc du Contades now stands. There was crossbow shooting on 28 May followed by the arquebus contest on 10 June. Then came the grand finale: a big lottery organised by the city government, with the draw starting on 13 July.

The great shooting festival at Schiessrain. — **The great shooting festival at *Schiessrain*.** Wikimedia

Over 340 arbalists and more than 600 arquebus marksmen travelled from the Holy Roman Empire, its free imperial cities and the Old Swiss Confederacy, with the cantons of Bern, Zurich, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Glarus, Zug, Fribourg, Lucerne, Basel and St. Gallen all taking part. Zurich, whose sharpshooters often shone at these competitions, sent competitors for both the crossbow and arquebus events. A third delegation comprised about 50 upstanding citizens headed by Kaspar Thomann, a very wealthy ironmonger who later became mayor of Zurich. The group was made up of men of different ages and professions, including members of the Small Council and even a priest. These were the men who repeated the ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ of their predecessors on 20 June. They had no interest in the shooting competition. They had come to pay their respects to their ally Strasbourg.

The second trip, however, was not an impromptu venture as it had been in 1456 but a matter of strategic importance for Zurich. The city wanted to strengthen its ties with its Protestant allies at a time when the Catholic rural cantons were clashing with the Protestant city cantons in the Confederacy, while the Counter-Reformation was well under way in the Holy Roman Empire. In early June, Zurich sent an official missive to the Strasbourg government announcing the planned trip and requesting accommodation for the boat crew. Zurich’s council also informed several major cities, including Basel, that the boat would be passing by.

**The Zurich boatmen embarking on their journey to Strasbourg on 20 June 1576. Etching by Johann Konrad Werdmüller, ca 1850.** Swiss National Museum

From Zurich to Strasbourg

The Zurich contingent set off at about one in the morning with the warm millet porridge safely on board in a 120-pound cast iron pot surrounded by preheated sand. The delegation also brought 300 bread rolls for the children of Strasbourg in addition to their own provisions.

There were 18 rowers working in shifts with 6 helmsmen. The cargo was transferred to a new boat further down the river near Laufenburg, where the Rhine narrows into a dangerous bottleneck, and the Zurich crew continued their journey.

They passed Basel at ten and were able to see the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral from afar in the late afternoon. That meant it was time for the crew to put on their best clothes and attach the banner of the City of Zurich to the boat. They reached Strasbourg by early evening and moored at the Quai des Bateliers after a journey of about 20 hours and 200 kilometres. A huge crowd on both sides of the canal gave them a warm welcome. The onlookers eagerly caught the rolls thrown to them by the visitors.

After the boat had dropped anchor, the visitors from Zurich were greeted by a civic delegation. Kaspar Thomann addressed his Strasbourg allies and announced, “should Strasbourg ever find itself in need, it has friends ready to rush to its aid quicker than it takes for a dish of millet porridge to cool”.

**About 20 hours later the challenge had been met: the millet porridge was still warm when it was delivered.** Swiss National Museum

The pot was carried through streets lined by cheering crowds to the guild house of the masons, where the Strasbourg city government received the men from Zurich. Once everyone was seated in the ceremonial hall, the porridge was served to the greatly impressed guests.

The intrepid crew members enjoyed the sights over the next few days, visiting the shooting festival, the city and its cathedral. They also marvelled at the flags taken from the Burgundians at Murten. Well-fed and having enjoyed many memorable experiences, they finally headed home. But not before presenting one last gift to their allies: the famous millet porridge pot.

**It has a rich history: the millet porridge pot from 1576. It was brought out of the museum for the celebrations in 1975.** Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt, BSL 1013 1-6773 1, Foto: Hans Bertolf

The tradition lives on

Strasbourg and Zurich ensured that the event was well publicised in the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss Confederacy. It didn’t matter that the Zurich crew had not really done anything superhuman. They were still immortalised on many engravings, medals, cups and gingerbread moulds.

Poems were even written about them, including ‘Argo Tigurina’ by Rudolf Gwalther of Zurich and ‘Das Glückhafft Schiff von Zürich’ (the ship of good fortune from Zurich) by Johann Fischart from Strasbourg. The millet porridge pot, damaged by shelling from Prussian troops in 1870, is still on display in the Historical Museum of Strasbourg.

A fountain dedicated to the people of Zurich was constructed in Strasbourg in 1884. The monument is not just in memory of the ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ of 1576, but also of an event during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, when the Prussians laid siege to the city. Representatives of Basel, Zurich and Bern negotiated the evacuation of over 2,000 civilians to Switzerland.

The fountain dedicated to the people of Zurich marks where the ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ crew laid anchor in 1576. That part of the Rhine was filled in in the 19th century. The bust of the poet Johann Fischart is displayed on the front of the monument alongside a bronze plaque of the pot on the boat. — The fountain dedicated to the people of Zurich marks where the ‘*Hirsebreifahrt*’ crew laid anchor in 1576. That part of the Rhine was filled in in the 19th century. The bust of the poet Johann Fischart is displayed on the front of the monument alongside a bronze plaque of the pot on the boat. Photo: Christophe Droesch

Having been repeated on a few occasions during preceding decades, the ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ became an official decennial fixture in 1946 thanks to the ‘Zürcher Limmat’ boat club. The crews row in a colourful convoy of traditional long wooden boats, known as Langschiffe, and pontoon boats to Strasbourg. City officials from Zurich sometimes join them for the trip.

However, the waterways today bear no resemblance to what they were when the first ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ took place as dams, locks and other constructions have since been added. That is why the journey now takes two-and-a-half days, with a number of festive stopovers in Switzerland, France and Germany. In addition, the boats are motor-powered so they can negotiate those stretches where there is no current.

The pot of millet porridge is only loaded on board at Kehl on the opposite bank of the Rhine to Strasbourg. It is still shared among the people of the city and its arrival in Strasbourg is celebrated with a big festival attended by the city officials. A shooting competition is held on the next day in keeping with tradition as well as a water jousting tournament.

The next voyage takes place this year. On 19 August, the members of the Limmat Club will once again don their traditional costumes and set out on the Limmat amid musical fanfare. They will reach Strasbourg on the afternoon of 22 August.

Video of the next ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ by Limmat-Club Zürich. Youtube

The ‘Hirsebreifahrt’ has endured over the centuries. It started out as a way of demonstrating the solidity of the alliance between Strasbourg and Zurich during a time of religious tension. Nowadays, it is a symbol of friendship and connection across borders.

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