A Short History of Lederhosen

by Lucas Cahow

It’s Oktoberfest in Munchen, Germany. You walk through the sardine-packed people who crowd around stand-up tables. Around you – Bratwurst sizzle on the grill, beer is handed out at lightning speeds, and a funny German dialect floats through the air.

The floors are sticky with the residue of spilled beer, and hearty laughter is seemingly around every corner. Then… you see it. An old German man in a pair of funky leather pants. That, my dear reader, is Lederhosen.

If you haven’t heard of Lederhosen, and that last paragraph made absolutely no sense - here’s a picture to get you on the right track:

They have a dense history, let’s get right into it:

It all starts with the good old state of Bavaria. This southern part of Germany has its roots in the year 15 BC with the Roman city of Augsburg. However, the first Bavarian Duke didn’t come around until 550 AD.

Skipping through hundreds of years and large Roman and French influences, we arrive in 1806, when the kingdom of Bavaria was founded by Maximilian I Joseph von Bayern.

Having united the Schwäbische, Fränkische, Pfälzer, and Bayerischer people, Maximilian found himself in quite the predicament. With so many different people speaking practically different languages, Maximilian had to figure out how to make his freshly created kingdom truly come together.

He had to create a sense of belonging – a sense of unity. Now, Max. 1 went about this in multiple ways, but the one pertinent to this article is Lederhosen.

That’s right, Lederhosen were created to unify the new Bavarian people under one Bavarian culture. That certainly worked down the road, as today Lederhosen are almost inseparable from Bavarian identity.

Furthermore, they were modeled after the traditional working clothes (durable leather pants), but actually only worn by Bavarian royalty. It makes sense really – there has always been a divide between royalty and workers.

Having just created a kingdom, King Maximilian I had to bridge the social gap as much as possible to please his new subjects. Dressing like them, even if it was a rich and pompous impression (the Bavarian farmers could not fathom affording the decorative, deer-leather Lederhosen), made a good impression.

- Quick detour -

Do you wonder why Lederhosen are short pants, sometimes even coming up past the knee? They were modeled after traditional working clothes, right? But short pants would make no sense when working in the fields.

The reason they’re not full length is because of royal French influence. French “culottes” were fashionable at the time, and they made their way into Bavaria. Think of it as the Bavarian royalty trying to stay relevant and fashionable.

However, the expensive cost of Lederhosen ultimately led to their downfall in popularity. The rich elite became bored with Lederhosen and eventually switched up their style. their style up. With no “ordinary” people to keep the tradition, Lederhosen slowly gradually started to disappear.

Luckily, the first Bavarian Trachtenverein (traditional clothing club) was founded August 25, 1883 in Bayrischzell. The idea was to keep traditional clothing, like lederhosen, alive.

Unfortunately, the club members were faced with serious pushback – even from the church!

If you can believe it, the Catholic Church found the short pants promiscuous and immoral. Lederhosen were banned in official processions and officially considered immoral by the archiepiscopal ordinariate in Munchen until 1913.

Confronted with Lederhosen haters, the club members reached out to the Bavarian king who at the time was Ludwig II.

Ludwig II was a Lederhosen sympathizer, and greatly helped the Lederhosen cause by aiding the creation of many traditional clothing clubs throughout Bavaria. Slowly but surely, Lederhosen saw a rise in popularity, eventually beating out the church’s reproach.

The Lederhosen wave never seemed to stop though, as today Lederhosen are the pride of Bavaria. They are used in traditional fests (including the sensational Oktoberfest,) weddings, and even at political settings.

I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Germany for a year, where I was gifted a pair of Lederhosen. They are one of the favorite parts of my exchange and an amazing keepsake. I went to Kirwa (a traditional fest,) the acclaimed largest political meet-up, and even the German parliament in Lederhosen!

I hope you enjoyed my quick recap on Lederhosen history, and I hope you get the chance to attend a Kirwa (a traditional fest) and be surrounded by such beautiful cultural attire! I highly recommend it.

About the Author: During his junior year, Lucas Cahow had the opportunity to study abroad in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany through the CBYX scholarship. He enjoys learning new languages and writing about different places and cultures around the world.

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Edited by Laura Sheikh