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Nagelbalken


Wettnageln or Nagelbalken (German for competitive nailing) is a sport in which participants compete against each other to drive nails into a wooden plank or shape.

Craftsmen in German-speaking countries have driven nails into certain wooden shapes for luck for centuries, as in the case of the in Vienna. The use of this to a popular contest of skill is known since the First World War, during which it was introduced as a means of gathering donations for war-time charities, in the form of Nail Men. The current use is just for leisure and as a game at events and festivals, often for children and as a wedding custom.

According to Florian Dering, a museologist at the Munich Stadtmuseum nailing competitions as fun events are known since the 1920s. They are used by showmen and charities to raise money and also at weddings, to have the newly married couple show their skills to the audience.

Dering reports a series of administrative regulations: the plank should have no protruding branches, the hammer should have a weight of at least 400 g and the nails provided should be round, at least one inch long and flat-headed.

Competitive nailing can be a solo game, for example at fairs, where driving the nail home in one to three blows wins a small prize, or as a contest between individuals or teams.

For Expo 2000, the Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin in Dortmund provided an exhibition DASA – Arbeitswelt Ausstellung to show different aspects of workplace security. A Nagelbalken area was designed as a central display to demonstrate physical skills, security measures and risks.


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