Der Maibaum (May Pole) is a decorated "Tree of Trades" displaying the symbols of businesses, services and skills practiced by the people who call Mount Angel home. The lowest two branches speak of the spiritual and intellectual foundations of our community, the parish church and the village school. The top branch on the right is a golfer, though not a trade, golf is a skill practiced by many of Mount Angel's citizens. The pole is painted in a blue and white spiral, the colors of Bavaria.
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At the very top, our tree is crowned with the "Engelberg" Angel weather vane. The Benedictine monks who established Mount Angel Abbey came from Engelberg, Switzerland. Mount Angel is the anglicized translation of Engelberg.
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May Poles are a common sight in villages across Bavaria. It is from this region of Southern Germany that many of the pioneer families immigrated to Mount Angel. Our world famous Oktoberfest is fashioned on the harvest festivals of Bavaria.
