"Kegeln", which is similar to nine-pin bowling, has been well known in Germany since the Middle Ages. At first, it was primarily a sport for gambling and betting. Churches and the authorities mainly forbid it. Later, "Kegeln" developed into a normal leisure-time activity. The sport had a surge in popularity, especially in the second half of the 1800s. Fans built a lot of lanes for kegel. They were mostly built in the same location as pubs.
This "kegel alley" was built in the year 1912 in the village of Ottenzell. The village residents could spend their evenings and their free time after church playing "Kegeln". The alley was still in operation in the 1950s. Afterwards, its last owner used the space to store goods. The village teenagers used to secretly smoke there.
Short facts
- Original location: Ottenzell, County of Cham
- Building:
- Wooden kegel alley from 1912
- House for the kegel alley from 2003
- Represented time: approximately 1950
- Last owner: Ludwig Achatz
- Reconstructed: 2002 – 2003