Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Falconry
Falconry, also known as hawking, is the art of hunting of wild game in its natural habitat using trained birds of prey.
Facts & figures
Crucial date: all season
Inscription: 2014
Domains: social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practice concerning nature and the universe; traditional craftsmanship
Where to find: nationwide (also abroad)
The training, i.e. taming and dressing, plus the introducing of a bird of prey to hunting by the falconer is a sensitive process, in which the bird of prey slowly and by way of exclusively positive experiences and rewards becomes accustomed to the falconer.
This demands a lot of patience and sensitivity from the falconers. Although the art of falconry is at least 3,500 years old, the basic principles thereof have essentially remained the same.
Technical and medical progress and the ethological knowledge we possess today enable a practice in line with modern ideas of animal welfare. It is impossible to learn the art of falconry purely by way of theoretical studies as one is handling live animals.
Common hawking and the passing on and spreading of falconry, ornithological and historical knowledge both orally and through the media, supported by scientific projects, make active contributions to the protection of birds of prey and public relations.
Contact
Deutscher Falkenorden
Bund für Falknerei, Greifvogelschutz und Greifvogelkunde e.V. (DFO)
Bundesgeschäftsstelle
Anke Bormann
@email
www.d-f-o.de
Orden Deutscher Falkoniere (ODF)
Ralf Karthäuser (Chairman)
@email
www.falknerverband.de
Verband Deutscher Falkner (VDF)
Torsten Hamberger (Chairman)
@email
www.verband-deutscher-falkner.de
