This page sorts out the main points before the first invoice arrives. It is a guide and not a sales offer: Maibaum München does not sell, hire out or broker trees, but explains the custom and the practice behind it.
Which wood
The classic maypole is spruce or fir, because both are tall, straight and comparatively light. The trunk is stripped of branches and peeled. For the small love maypole, on the other hand, a birch.
How tall and how heavy
A village or district maypole typically measures around thirty metres, and a few record trees pass fifty. Weight climbs quickly with height, and a large tree runs to several tonnes. Both decide whether it can still be raised by hand with Scherstangen, the long wooden cross poles, or only with a crane.
What a maypole costs
There is no flat figure. The range depends on height, painting, guild emblems and transport, and the trunk is rarely the biggest item. What gets expensive are the emblems, the painting work and everything that comes afterwards.
Where the money goes
- One off
- Trunk, painting, guild emblems, foundation or ground socket, raising.
- Recurring
- Stability inspection, public liability insurance, upkeep and eventual replacement.
Raising, inspecting, insuring
A maypole has to stand safely for years, in any weather. It is put up by a qualified contractor or an experienced maypole club. After that, its stability has to be checked regularly: there is no statutory rule, but according to the case law at least one inspection a year is required, and an extra check is advisable after a storm. Responsibility lies with whoever owns the tree. Public liability insurance is strongly advisable, and anyone planning a site on public ground needs the permission of the owner or the local authority. None of this replaces legal, structural or insurance advice.
Sources
- Kommunale Unfallversicherung Bayern, Unfallversicherung aktuell 2/2017: Sicheres Aufstellen des Maibaums.
- Michael Ritter, Bayerischer Landesverein für Heimatpflege, in: MUH 48 (2023): Maibaumaufstellen.
- Abendzeitung München (dpa), 28.04.2011: Tanz in den Mai: So zünftig wird's!
- Wikipedia: Maibaum.
Retrieved on 7 October 2026. The sources are in German. They document the facts given on this page; the bodies named remain the authority.