Palm Sunday in Imst is a big day. In the truest sense of the word. The small town with a population of 11,000 organizes a special competition every year. Who has the longest palm lath?
Made from spruce wood, the palm lath consists of several parts, with a hazelnut branch attached to the top end. The whole construction has a length of more than 30 meters. And making it is still the easiest task.
It has to be set up three times on Palm Sunday and should not break in the process. If it does break, the participants have the opportunity to repair the damage quickly. If this is not possible, the crossbar may be too short and the competition would be lost. According to Bernhard Robert, who was born in Imst, this only happens on average every 4-5 years. He should know, after all, he has been involved for more than 30 years.
How exactly does it work?
"The batten is constructed by joining and screwing together several pieces of wood using pipe clamps," explains Emil Pergtold, who has always been involved since 1988. For stability, it is crucial that the wood of the lowest part is well dried and therefore does not bend. For this reason, the bottom thickest part of the batten is used again and again over the years. Only the upper parts are built with new wood. The intermediate pieces are wrapped with willow for aesthetic reasons. The hazelnut branch attached to the top end is a symbol of bowing down at the entry of Jesus of Nazareth. To be part of this more than 40-year-old custom from the start, you should be an early riser. The palm branch has to be upright in front of the parish church by eight o'clock in the morning.
In the morning, the unguided wooden pole is carried through the narrow alleyways towards the church by several helpers. There it is first placed in the correct position on the ground. The pole is then secured to the ground anchoring with squared timber and then lifted into a vertical position using pure muscle power. According to the rules, this extremely strenuous work may only be carried out by a maximum of ten men. With a weight of around 300 kilograms, good teamwork and the right technique are crucial for success. Once the work has been successfully completed, the raised slat leans against an iron structure that prevents it from tipping over.
At the end of the morning service, the palm laths are taken down again. Accompanied by the faithful, they are carried to the plague chapel and set up again. If they don't manage to put them up straight away and the men's strength fails, they quickly jump to the side and the wooden lath crashes back to the ground. This has already happened several times, resulting in injuries such as a trapped leg, a damaged shoulder blade or bruises, says Pergtold. There has also been damage to property. A house roof and several graves have already been damaged. "We've learned and made it relatively safe," he says. The slats, which now tower high into the sky, are blessed by the priest at the chapel - and then taken down again.
Now it's back towards the church with the pole and numerous residents. The wooden poles are placed next to each other and measured. This is traditionally carried out by the mayor at the "Hirschen" inn. But even if it is now clear which group has the longest wooden pole, it is definitely still too early to celebrate. First the slats have to survive another erection in front of the church undamaged. Once that is done, the winning team is finally determined and receives - sausages and the honor of being allowed to carry the title "longest palm slat" for a year.
This tradition is very important to the inhabitants of the small town. In particular, they attach great importance to the fact that the children are also involved. According to Bergtold, who has been involved since he was a youngster, putting up the statue is like a family tradition. This year's group alone included a total of 30 children, who are sure to carry on the tradition later with great enthusiasm and ambition.
Addendum: In 2025, the winning length was 35.70 meters, there was a tie between two groups of participants. Fortunately, no bar was broken.
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Sources:
https://bauernzeitung.at/am-palmsonntag-geht-es-in-imst-um-die-wurst/
https://stadtistik.de/oesterreich/tirol-imst-imst-70203/
https://www.imst.at/urlaubserlebnisse/kultur/ostern/faszinierendes-brauchtum
Interview with Bernhard Robert, Emil Pergtold on April 13, 2025
Copyright photos/video: Ingrid Müller
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