Bull Market attracts the crowds

The 128th Zug Bull Market took place on the appropriately named Stierenmarkt in the city on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. With the good weather, it was thought attendance could be higher than the 12,000 who went along last year.

Even at bull markets, it is all about money, with Jörg Hänni, the spokesman of the Braunvieh Cattle Breeding Association, explaining that, this year, it was unlikely the CHF 4,587 average price would be able to be achieved, and was looking more at CHF 4,000, even though the quality of the bulls was as good as last year. As to the auctions this year, he was expecting more sellers than buyers.

While the Bull Market is indeed a spectacle, even for those with little bovine interest, it has become very much a place to be seen at. Hence, with elections in the offing, a larger number of politicians were present, too
Among them, the following is a random selection, was Daniel Stadlin of the GLP party of Zug who is hoping to be elected to the cantonal government. “As Zug born and bred, I come here every year,” he said, accompanied on this occasion by his wife Alda, who really preferred going in the afternoons to see the bulls in a more natural environment.

Heinz Tännler of the SVP party of Zug, who hopes to be re-elected to the cantonal government and continue as director of finance, was also present, commenting that for him attending was a matter of course, as much as brushing one’s teeth.

City councillor Vroni Straub of the ALG party said this was the seventh time she had attended, not least because this was one occasion at which the city council, the citizens’ council and Corporation actually sat down together at the same table. “I tend go for the knuckle of pork,” she confessed.

As for cantonal government hopeful Florian Weber of the FDP party in Walchwil (more about whom can be found in the adjacent article), he said he had attended last year, too, the Bull Market being very much part of Zug.

One politician present who does not have to worry about being re-elected in October was Thomas Aeschi of the SVP party of Baar, who represents Zug in the National Council in Bern. “I regularly come here,” he said, “whether it is an election year or not.”