Zürich, Chicago and New York had "Cows on Parade", Berlin had "Buddy Bears".
Now Hamelin, the world-famous city of the Pied Piper will have Rats!
"Rattenfestival" (Festival of Rats) is a public art event which brings back rats into the streets of downtown Hamelin.
Seventy uniquely decorated rats will be on public display from May through October 2004.
During the Kick-Off Parade on May 2 adorned rats will parade from the bank of the river Weser
to the large market place "Pferdemarkt".
 
Here you can find pictures from the Parade on May 2!
 

Two rats have been designed and sculpted by Irina Teichert from Hamelin. They either stand or sit.

• Standing rats are 5 feet 7 inches tall and 2 feet 7 inches wide.
• Sittig rats are roughly 5 feet tall.
• The rats weigh approximately 70 pounds.
• The rats were casted at a local fiberglass company.

Each rat has a donor who contributed € 1700 each to sponsor a rat.
The donors selected an artist from the artist roster.
 

From November 2003 through January 2004 more then 150 artists submitted sets of slides represantative of their work and proposals outlining their ideas for rat adornment.
70 proposals were selected. The artists received a € 500 honorarium.
In addition they will get 10% of the auction proceeds.
 

Bringing the concept from Calgary´s "Udderly Art" in 2000 to Hamelin, was the idea of Franz−Josef Vonnahme.
He founded "Ratten-Festival-Hameln e.V." a private registered charity with 8 volunteer members.
The aim of "Ratten-Festival-Hameln e.V." is to promote art.
 

In October 2004 all rat sculptures from "Rattenfestival" will be auctioned to the highest bidder to raise funds for a monument of a rat to be erected on the river Weser in Hamelin.
Details of the on-line auction will be presented on our website www.rattenfestival.de in September 2004.