A long, long time ago there was a huge famine in Königsberg. In the morning the children would get a little piece of bread and a sip of milk from their mother. And even though they were extremely hungry, they wouldn’t get anything more before supper. It hurt mother to see her children like that, but there just wasn’t any more food.
Rats and mice, cats and dogs were already eaten and there was no hope for better days. To make matters worse it rained all summer so there was no harvest from the field. Nowhere were children cheering, nowhere were children playing happily, nowhere happy faces to be seen. Everyone was sad. All the shops were closed and the once busy streets were deserted. It was all gloom and doom.
In these hard times the eldest and wisest people from the city came together to discuss. The famine had to end. Every attendee came with a suggestion, but nothing seemed good enough. A month passed without finding a solution, that’s when the wisest of them all stood up and said: ‘Because of all the misery people have come despondent. It is our duty to cheer them up. To make them forget about the hard times.’
The other attendees agreed and it was decided that from the last coins in the town treasury a big sausage would be made. And every citizen would get a piece.
Well, Königsberg is right by the sea, so two people went on a boat to get pigs, pepper, salt and other spices, because near the city nothing could be found. After a few weeks they returned with ships full of food. All the butchers in town had to come to the city hall and got the order to make one big sausage.
The butchers did it with pleasure! Within a month they had made a sausage like no one had ever seen before. In front of the town gate a big party terrain was set up. Big poles with flowers and colorful flags gave it a festive atmosphere. And there was a huge table on which they would put the sausage.
And that was a hell of a job! A long row of two people side by side carried the sausage on big sticks to the table. In front were town musicians, with a drum, trumpet and flute, after that the mayor and members of the council. And to close it off, the cheering people of the city.
Once they arrived at the terrain the sausage was put down and the musicians played cheerful music. After that the mayor held a speech and the school children sang songs. Then they started to divide the sausage. You should have seen the happy faces the kids had!
Because when you haven’t eaten well in a long time, it is a joy to be able to eat as much as you want. Especially for kids. After everyone was done eating, a lot of sausage was still left. Everybody was allowed to take as much sausage home as they could carry.
It took two whole days and nights to cut up and divide the sausage. When that was done, the citizens had hope again for the future. The children were laughing and got to be happy again. The next year the harvest was successful and the famine ended. Everywhere in the world the story of the big sausage of Königsberg is told to children. And whoever hears it starts mouth watering.
