Bauernkegelbahn

Dellach im Gailtal, Carinthia

A Bauernkegelbahn (traditional skittle alley) is something special. On June 16, 1984, the "1st Carinthian Bauernkegelbahn" was awakened from its slumber. It's worth taking a look into the past. Almost every village had a skittle alley. Around the turn of the century, there was a skittle game called "Königstechen". A skittle cross was sunk into the ground outdoors. The ball was not rolled, but thrown. The aim was to knock down the kingpin without other pins falling. In earlier common skittle alleys, a board was sunk into a clay lane. Sometimes over the entire distance to the pins, sometimes only a part. Every Sunday after church, there was lively activity on the skittle alley. Since there was often rain and bad weather, the alleys were covered. The landlady of the "Herzog" inn only handed out the balls to the players after the holy mass in the church was over. Most of the time, skittles began with "Partiescheiben". We still know it from today. The team that could show the highest number of fallen pins won. Mostly, in our area, it was about a "round" (drinks). If women participated in the game, they were allowed to "wandeln", which meant that hits also counted if the ball bounced off the side wall. Between the 1st and 2nd World Wars, the skittle alleys were bustling. Enthusiastic bowlers turned to "Schanzeln". Here it was about money, often high stakes, and one could speak of a game of chance. Further information at: Tel: +43 4718 677 gruenwald@dellach.at http://gruenwald.dellach.at