Motto 2025 "Myth of Winnetou"

In 2025, it will be 150 years since Winnetou was created by Karl May as the chief of the Apaches and since then, as an icon of German-language adventure literature, has sparked the imagination and enthusiasm of his readers like no other protagonist of local writers. In a wealth of exciting stories, Winnetou became a noble hero who embodied the values of humanity, peaceful coexistence of different cultures and love of neighbour propagated by Karl May. Winnetou stands for the human ideal, which stands up for the good with gentleness and strength and which he himself exemplified in his blood brotherhood with his former adversary Old Shatterhand.

Even after 150 years, the "Myth of Winnetou" remains unbroken and is still an essential part of German culture. He triggered a longing for a better world, promising the hope of peace for all peoples with nobility and magnanimity and inspiring his readers to be the key to this happiness themselves.

Karl May chose the Wild West as the romanticised world of the European settlers in 19th century America as the backdrop. The actual oppression of the indigenous peoples of America served as a symbol for all the injustices that people do to each other, driven by base motives such as greed and envy and the willingness to resort to violence. With Winnetou, Karl May created an analogy that not only made an ideal view of humanity and the world accessible to countless people of all generations, but also made it desirable and never lost its significance. Humanity itself was born in Winnetou.

Preserving Karl May's message - embodied in Winnetou - for future generations has been the primary motivation of the Karl May Festival Radebeul for over 30 years. It was here in Radebeul that the idea of Winnetou was born and launched into the world. The Lößnitzgrund as the scenic source of Karl May's inspiration offers the ideal backdrop to not only describe or urge the real possibility of peaceful coexistence between different cultures, but to actively live it, to invite everyone to be infected by the enthusiasm for humanity and to spread this ideal further. Winnetou is hope, an opportunity and an appeal to remember what it means to be human. Every human being is also Winnetou. It is the wish of the Karl May Festival to inspire as many people as possible to seek out the noble Indian chieftain within themselves and to show them the joy this can bring.