For the first time in about ten years, a historic steam plow will once again be in action at the Historic Harvest Festival in Bernburg-Strenzfeld. This rare demonstration is one of the special highlights of the 30th anniversary of the traditional festival, which Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, together with the Saxony-Anhalt State Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (LLG) on August 29, 2026, on the grounds of the DLG’s International Center for Crop Production (IPZ).
The operational steam plow set is coming to Strenzfeld from the German Agricultural Museum at the University of Hohenheim. Such demonstrations have become a great rarity. Of the three historic steam plow sets that were still operational in Germany just a few years ago, only one remains functional today. In steam plowing, two locomobiles, each weighing about 20 metric tons, face each other at the edges of the field. Between them, a plow is pulled across the field by a cable. As early as the 19th century, this technology made it possible to mechanically cultivate large areas and is considered one of the key pioneers of modern Agriculture.
Today, this technology can usually only be seen in museums. At the Historic Harvest Festival in Strenzfeld, however, visitors can experience how the machines actually worked. “People who are interested in agricultural machinery know: This is something truly special,” says Christoph Gajda, who himself owns a 1942 Lanz Bulldog and has been passionate about historic agricultural machinery since his youth. For about 20 years, he has volunteered at the Historic Harvest Festival, where he also hosts the tractor parade. Interest in the demonstration extends far beyond Saxony-Anhalt: “People from Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, and southern Germany have already registered—they’re coming specifically to see the steam plow.”
For the demonstration, the two locomobiles and the plow will be transported to Bernburg on three flatbed trailers. A nine-person crew from Hohenheim will handle the operation. The coal-fired machines will be fired up early in the morning. During the harvest festival, visitors will be able to witness steam plowing in action in the field throughout the day. Gajda succinctly sums up what makes these historic machines so fascinating to visitors: “It smokes, it hisses, and it’s huge.”
About the Historic Harvest Festival
Launched 30 years ago, the Historic Harvest Festival has become a fixture on Bernburg’s calendar of events. To mark the anniversary, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the Saxony-Anhalt State Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (LLG) have expanded the program to include special highlights. In addition to tractor and horse-drawn plows, a tractor parade and harvest procession, animal presentations, a children’s area, and a fairy-tale barn, visitors can look forward to, among other things, a “Bockwurst Battle” featuring regional producers and a photo exhibition on the history of the festival. The 30th Historic Harvest Festival will take place on August 29, 2026, on the grounds of the DLG’s International Center for Plant Production in Bernburg-Strenzfeld.
