For a manageable town like Offenburg, with barely more than 60,000 inhabitants, the Oberrhein-Messe is the talk of the entire town, and even the youngest residents are involved in its organization and processes. Visitors from out of town positively rave about the warm, family-like atmosphere. At the same time, the 179,000 m2 exhibition grounds, steadily expanded with new modern buildings over recent decades, can easily hold their own against better-known expositions. The idyllic landscape of the bucolic Ortenau district gives the exposition a compelling unique selling point.
Messe Offenburg in figures
- Location: Schutterwälder Straße 3
- Organizer: Messe Offenburg-Ortenau GmbH
- Founded: 1924
- Exhibition grounds: 179,000 m2
- Outdoor area: 52,400 m2
- Exhibition halls: 9
- Visitors: 400,000
- Trade fairs: 20 per year
A meeting place for a transnational region
The Oberrhein-Messe gives start-ups from the region the opportunity to promote their innovative products and services. Employers and jobseekers can also find each other, as a job fair is part of the trade fair program. The catchment area is far larger than the dazzling local flavor of the “Herbschdmess” might suggest.
As its name already suggests, and as the considerable investments of recent decades underline, the Oberrhein-Messe draws its audience from the Upper Rhine region. It is a hub of encounter and a bridge-builder for the prosperous trinational region of around 1.7 million people, which encompasses not only Germany’s southwest but also northwestern Switzerland and the French Alsace. The Offenburg trade fair maintains close ties with the exhibition in Strasbourg. While Europe drifts apart in the age of polycrises, the Oberrhein-Messe pushes back and offers a convincing example of how more can be achieved together.
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Over 100 years of the Oberrhein-Messe – an event in farmers’ hands
The fact that the Oberrhein-Messe is so popular and so firmly rooted in the town of Offenburg has much to do with its rich tradition. The first event, held under the name Ortenauer Herbstmesse and staged at the time on the Kronenwiese, took place in 1924 during the oppressive years of the occupation of the Ruhr by Belgian and French troops and helped to get the economy going again. The successful celebration, at which a spectacular flower show, among other things, helped to lift spirits, motivated the organizers to stage further events.
Autumn was chosen as a favorable time for the exposition, as the harvest had been brought in and farmers and livestock traders could bring their agricultural produce to the people. Since then, the exhibitors’ offering has become ever more diverse, but agriculture holds its ground, and farm animals take center stage in many of the shows and games during the Oberrhein-Messe.
Even older than the Oberrhein-Messe is the Badische Weinmesse, which made its debut in Offenburg as early as 1872. Although it has since been discontinued, lovers of the world’s most complex beverage will still find plenty of opportunity for delightful moments for the palate at the Oberrhein-Messe.
The exhibition grounds
Nestled between an extensive park and the River Kinzig, the exhibition grounds — at 179,000 m2 surprisingly generous for a medium-sized town — are located on the town’s former Eiswiesen meadows. The move away from the Kronenwiese, which was divided by a road, gave the organizer room to develop freely. This allowed them to enrich the exhibition with ever new prestigious premises in order to give the exposition a worthy setting. All the buildings accommodate between 2,400 and 9,600 people, can be used flexibly and offer different hall formats to suit every occasion.
Thus the Oberrheinhalle, built in 1963, was joined in 1972 by the Ortenau-Halle and in 2005 by the Baden-Arena, which is ideal for sporting competitions. The pride of the whole town is the Edeka-Halle, completed in 2024 — the most spacious and modern building on the exhibition grounds. Together with the five exhibition halls and a trade fair hotel, these buildings frame the 52,400 m2 outdoor area, which — especially during the Oberrhein-Messe — provides the ideal backdrop for the festival grounds, packed with a Ferris wheel and trampoline as well as numerous games, shows and hands-on activities.
Getting to the trade fair
As the exhibition grounds are located right at the entrance to the town, getting there is straightforward. Drivers can reach the exhibition via the A5 as well as the B3 and B33. The exhibition grounds are served by long-distance coaches and by bus routes S3, S5, S6 and 7141. The walk from Offenburg railway station, which is also served by ICE trains, takes around 20 minutes. The nearest airports are in Karlsruhe (50 km) and Strasbourg (30 km).
The trade fairs in Offenburg
Around 20 exhibitions take place on the modern exhibition grounds every year. In our selection, we would like to focus on the following exhibitions:
Oberrhein-Messe
By far the longest-running, most popular and largest exposition in Offenburg is the Oberrhein-Messe, with a cross-border catchment area, which takes place in the atmosphere of a folk festival and is accompanied by a creative and colorful supporting program. Typical of the exhibition is plenty of local flavor with music, parades and traditional costumes. The exhibitors cover a rich variety of topics, with exhibits spanning sectors such as living, agriculture, hobbies, fashion, health, beauty, mobility, careers and energy.
- The Oberrhein-Messe takes place annually in late September/early October — current dates on the organizer’s website
BioAgrar
The BioAgrar is a specialist trade fair and offers farmers the opportunity to exchange views on advanced ecological concepts.
- The BioAgrar takes place annually in February — current dates on the organizer’s website
GeoTHERM
Europe’s leading trade fair for geothermal energy attracted 241 exhibitors from 40 countries in 2024. Here, entrepreneurs can find a wide range of geothermal products, from planning and drilling equipment to heat transfer media. In themed congresses on near-surface and deep geothermal energy, decision-makers can deepen their expertise.
- The GeoTHERM takes place annually in February — current dates on the organizer’s website
BAUEN WOHNEN Garten & Genuss
The popular trade fair BAUEN WOHNEN Garten & Genuss heralds the arrival of spring in Offenburg. In a stimulating atmosphere that appeals to all the senses, visitors can find out about the latest trends and ideas on the topics mentioned in the title and purchase products that improve their quality of life.
- The BAUEN WOHNEN Garten & Genuss takes place annually in March — current dates on the organizer’s website
expo extreme
When civilization collapses, man becomes a beast. Preppers see the collapse approaching and equip themselves to survive. But even for those with fewer fears about the future, survival training — a kind of radicalized camping — can be an inspiring corrective to the sensory overload of the digital age, sharpening the senses and helping people rediscover their compass as original creatures of nature.
- The expo extreme takes place annually in August — current dates on the organizer’s website.
