LateRooms.com - Dusseldorf Hosts Annual Cartwheeling Championship

    DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, May 05, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- One of Dusseldorf's most unique annual events is set to take place on June 20th this year.

The German city's international cartwheeling championship may be familiar to people who have stayed in Dusseldorf hotels during the summer months, but newcomers to the area could be surprised by this eccentric tradition.

About 700 youngsters for 15 different countries take part in the event, which dates back to 1937.

However, the birth of Dusseldorf's love affair with the cartwheel predates the tournament by several centuries, according to local folklore.

It is thought that this impromptu display of gymnastic ability has been a feature of celebrations in the city since 1288, when Dusseldorf was official granted town privileges.

This event took place shortly after the bloody Battle of Worringen, with local children believed to have celebrated the occasion by cartwheeling for joy in the streets.

However, the Dusseldorf tourism authorities have pointed out that there are several other legends to explain the city's enduring fascination with cartwheels.

One concerns a heroic boy who is said to have jumped up and held the wheel of a carriage used by Prince Jan Willem after it was damaged in an accident.

Nowadays, the cartwheeling championship takes place every year at Dusseldorf's Carl Square, located in the district of Carl-Stadt.

The competing children are divided in age groups and must race each other while turning cartwheels over a distance of 50 to 65 feet.

Visitors to the city at other times of the year may encounter local youngsters offering to perform a cartwheel for "one penny" in popular areas such as the Altstadt, the Konigsallee and the Rhine River promenade.

Commenting on the cartwheeling championship, Jessica Reading, head of marketing for LateRooms, said: "We strongly urge people thinking of going to the cartwheeling championship and who need hotels Dusseldorf to book early to avoid disappointment."

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