THE SITE
The Bärnau–Tachov History Park is located in Bärnau, in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria, close to the German–Czech border. It is Germany’s largest medieval archaeological open-air museum and presents reconstructed architectural ensembles dating from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. Through experimental archaeology, historical reconstruction, and interpretation, the park provides insight into settlement structures, building traditions, craft practices, and everyday life in medieval Central Europe.
In 2017, an experimental construction site was initiated to recreate a late medieval castle residence using traditional technologies. The project is based on historical models associated with the travel residences of Emperor Charles IV along the Via Carolina, also known as the Golden Road, which connected Prague and Nuremberg as a major corridor of exchange in the heart of Europe. The reconstruction follows historically documented forms, materials, and processes, allowing building techniques to be tested, refined, and understood through practice.
The park’s approach combines archaeological research with hands-on experimentation. Knowledge relating to lime burning, lime mortars, stone construction, and timber building has been progressively developed through practical trials supported by scientific analysis. In this way, the construction site functions as a research environment where craft practice and academic inquiry intersect, generating insights that are transferable to heritage conservation and restoration.
The location of the park within a historically fluid border region adds an important cultural dimension to its mission. For centuries, this area was characterised by interaction between Slavic and Germanic communities, reflected in shared settlement traditions and cultural practices. After the Second World War, the imposition of a hard border between Czechoslovakia and West Germany and the displacement of populations brought an abrupt end to these connections. The Bärnau–Tachov History Park was conceived in part as a place of encounter that recalls this shared heritage and promotes transboundary cooperation through engagement with the region’s longer history.
THE TRAINING COURSE
The European Heritage Training Course at the Bärnau–Tachov History Park in 2026 will continue the multi-year involvement of European Heritage Volunteers in the experimental construction of the late medieval castle residence. Building on the training course carried out in 2025, the 2026 edition will further advance masonry and timber construction works using historically documented medieval techniques.
Participants will engage directly in traditional construction processes, including the splitting of granite blocks, the manual working of ashlar stones, and their placement in lime mortar using a reconstructed medieval crane. They will prepare and apply traditional lime mortars, exploring historical binder formulations and their performance within masonry systems. Timber-related activities will involve the hewing of beams from greenwood trunks using hand tools, demonstrating material transformation through pre-industrial techniques.
These activities form part of an experimental-archaeological methodology in which construction processes are understood not only as practical tasks but also as a means of reconstructing historical knowledge. Each stage contributes to a broader understanding of medieval resource management, labour organisation, and the functioning of a pre-industrial building site.
Experienced specialists in stonemasonry and medieval building techniques will guide all practical activities. The work follows a systematic experimental archaeology approach, in which each construction phase is documented and evaluated in relation to historical sources and archaeological evidence.
The experimental construction site is also periodically inhabited by Wandergesellen, craftspeople undertaking the traditional Walz as part of their guild-based professional formation in traditional craftsmanship. Their presence introduces participants to living craft traditions and contemporary pathways of transmitting knowledge rooted in historical practice.
The educational programme will complement the hands-on work with sessions addressing medieval construction methods, material behaviour, and the relevance of traditional crafts for heritage conservation. Particular attention will be given to the concept of embodied energy, highlighting how pre-modern construction relied on local resources and human labour rather than fossil-fuel-driven processes. This perspective situates traditional techniques within present-day discussions on sustainability, conservation ethics, and the environmental value of maintaining historic structures.
As part of the educational programme, participants will also undertake guided visits to heritage sites and traditional craft workshops in the surrounding region, providing insight into local craft traditions and industries that historically shaped the economic and social life of border communities. In 2026, the programme will also explore the historical dynamics of the German–Czech border region, reflecting on the long coexistence of neighbouring cultures, the rupture caused by twentieth-century political divisions, and the contemporary role of shared heritage initiatives in rebuilding dialogue across borders.
An integral element of the educational programme will be the participants’ presentations. Each participant is required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to the thematic focus of the activities on site, introducing a case study from their country of origin. This component connects the practical work undertaken during the programme with comparable heritage practices in different cultural and institutional contexts. Through this structured exchange, participants reflect on conservation approaches, management frameworks, and current challenges, contributing to a broader comparative understanding of heritage preservation. The presentations are intended to encourage critical dialogue, intercultural exchange, and the articulation of informed professional perspectives within an international group of emerging heritage practitioners.
The training course will take place from August 2nd to August 15th, 2026, and is jointly organised by the Via Carolina – Golden Road Association and European Heritage Volunteers.
