From cotton weaving to lute and lyre players, cooking on an open fire, medieval dancing, crossbow shooting, pottery and, of course, mead, Veronica Stivala got up close with the middle ages at the longest castle in the world.

A horse-headed man with long golden locks and an ankle-length white tunic hopped past as he twiddled on a mandolin a tune to accompany his medieval melancholic melody. He nodded his head up and down to the atmospheric song, acknowledging passers-by as he enjoyed this moody music. It was I who felt like the odd one out, for the passers-by, too, were so suitably adorned in attire that is more reminiscent of the times of yore than of the 21st century.

Long, flowing hair and equally long and flowing pointed sleeves on linen shirts, buckled with chunky belts were the order of the day at the Medieval Festival held at Burghausen Castle in Upper Bavaria, Germany, in the early days of July this year. At 1,051 metres, this makes it the longest castle complex in the world and has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The castle is a medieval one and impressively still has almost all of its medieval fortifications intact. It has a rich history and from 1255 it was the second home of the dukes of Lower Bavaria and the court of their consorts. This, naturally, makes it an apt setting for a medieval festival, held annually over a weekend, this year, in early July.

At times I really did feel like I was in another life, another world, as I was met, for example, with a wood and metal contraption, sporting the head of a red-eyed dragon

Because it is so long, the castle has six huge courtyards (one inner and six outer ones) and these made for the perfect setting for a wide variety of medieval elements. The castle is now home to a museum, which houses late Gothic paintings of the Bavarian State Picture Collection. It is also home to a gothic chapel and a knights’ hall with two vaulted halls.

The first outer courtyard used to serve as a buffer, a protection area if you will, for the main castle and included stables, a brewery and a bakery. In the second courtyard is a large arsenal building dating back to 1420 and a gunsmith’s tower. The list goes on for the rest of the courtyards, which include a grain and measure tower, used as stables and to store animal food, as well as yet another impressive gothic chapel dedicated to St Hedwig. What also has to be mentioned is the wonderfully titled powder tower, referring, of course, to gun powder, rather than talcum or any sort of baking powder. A battlement connects this tower with the main castle.

And so brewing, baking, chivalry and many, many battles set the backdrop for this annual three-day festival that is held in collaboration with the city of Burghausen to tie in with the historic solstice celebrations. Before I even entered the fortified walls of this castle, I was welcomed with the smell of cooking fires, a whiff of fading gunpowder and the merry rhythm of beating drums.

On entering, this was coupled with sights of historical garments, courtly pomp, fire, industrious farmers, busy market vendors, musicians and vagabonds and the occasional swordsman who helped take us on a trip into bygone times. I enjoyed browsing through the medieval waistcoats, long skirts and pretty tie-up blouses that were for sale at a number of stalls, as well as the intricate jewellery made of silver, precious stones and wood.

My stroll down the long, long pathway took me to a clan of hatted trumpeteers. Adorned in red and yellow pantaloons they blew their instruments – also adorned with a matching, mustard yellow flag to accompanying steady drum beats – a pompous and grand welcome I thought to these grandiose palace grounds. Along my walk, I had many opportunities to look over the castle walls and appreci-ate the beautiful surroundings of Burghausen with their sloping, red rooves, populated by the occasional tower that peeped through the happy houses and neighbouring foliage.

At times, I really did feel like I was in another life, another world, as I was met, for example, with a wood and metal contraption, sporting the head of a red-eyed dragon! A soothing lyre player was a welcome change from this frightful encounter, though perhaps not enough to stop me from trying my chances at hitting the bull’s eye in a bout of crossbow (I missed only by a few millimetres) lest I needed to defend myself from the beastly brute.

But there were ample opportunities for relaxation and merriment and I happily munched on a piece of flatbread adorned with cheese and mushrooms (also known as a pizza), washed down with a glass of hearty water.

I tried my hand at a courtly medieval dance, taking two steps forward, one sideways and another two back following a performance of medieval dance. And I later enjoyed a glass of Moroccan coffee as we listened to a gothic band sing some punchy tunes – though, they could have done with a few tips on pronunciation.

The day was fun, albeit a tad too hot and I went home definitely feeling inspired and happy to have caught a number of medieval tunes and marches on my phone. This is definitely an outing worth pursuing if getting lost in past traditions is your kind of thing.