Mühlhausen: Traditional clay techniques at a Building from the Middle Ages | OH-H05 | 2026-08-02 - 2026-08-15 | CONS,RENO | Age: 18 - 35

Open Houses is a non-profit network dedicated to the preservation and reactivation of historic buildings and sites as shared cultural spaces. Rather than treating heritage as static or purely commemorative, Open Houses understands historic places as environments shaped through continued use, dialogue, and collective responsibility. The organisation initiates and supports projects that combine hands-on conservation with cultural, educational, and community-oriented activities, enabling sites to remain physically accessible and socially meaningful. The main objective of Open Houses is to reactivate historic sites as living parts of their communities, supported by international volunteers who contribute to their conservation and rehabilitation through practical engagement. The origins of the organisation date to the mid-1980s, when volunteer groups in East Germany began restoring endangered village churches. These efforts quickly evolved beyond repair work into the reanimation of the buildings as lived spaces for exhibitions, music, discussion, and communal engagement. This approach (linking practical preservation with active participation) remains central to Open Houses today. European Heritage Volunteers is an international programme network initiated and administered by Open Houses to extend these objectives across Germany and beyond. Conceived as a platform for capacity building in the heritage field, it brings together students, emerging professionals, and skilled craftspeople to participate in hands-on conservation projects, training courses, and educational initiatives at heritage sites. The programme combines practical work, such as traditional building techniques, landscape conservation, documentation, and maintenance, with structured learning components addressing heritage theory, site management, and cultural context. Implemented in cooperation with site owners, conservation authorities, and partner organisations, European Heritage Volunteers functions as a bridge between professional heritage practice and international exchange, fostering the transmission of traditional skills, interdisciplinary learning, and shared responsibility for the safeguarding of cultural heritage.

Work: The heritage conservation project will engage the participants with the restoration of medieval vernacular architecture, focusing on the historically accurate use of traditional materials and techniques. The site, comprising a rare ensemble of medieval half-timbered buildings, is in the early stages of its conservation journey, with ongoing structural consolidation and restoration efforts. A central aspect of the conservation work will be the preparation and application of clay mortar, a historically appropriate material used for wall rendering, stone setting, and floor construction in buildings of this period. Unlike later structures that employed lime mortar, the buildings at Zinkengasse 36 originally relied on clay-based mortars, and their conservation requires a precise understanding of their material properties, application methods, and long-term behaviour. The participants will engage in mixing and applying clay mortar, acquiring hands-on experience in a technique essential to pre-modern construction. In addition to the work with clay, conservation efforts will include the extraction and recovery of historic building materials, such as natural stone and timber, which is planned to be carefully processed and reintegrated into the structure. This process will involve traditional masonry and carpentry techniques, ensuring that the restoration respects the original construction principles. The conservation tasks will be supervised by a master stonemason specialising in dry-stone wall construction and traditional masonry techniques.

Accomodation and food: Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated at a local guest house embedded in the medieval city wall. Shared rooms and essential facilities, including sanitary amenities and kitchen access, will be provided to ensure a functional and comfortable stay within the heritage setting. Food: The meals will be prepared together as they are part of the community life, what means that every participant will be responsible for the meal at least once during its stay. So, it would be very nice if the participants could bring typical recipes from home in order to introduce each other to the preparation of food from all over the world. Insurance: In cases of accident and liability all participants from foreign countries are insured by Open Houses. Nevertheless, individual travel insurance is recommended. Participants from outside European Union are insured in cases of illness, too. Participants from the European Union should bring their European Health Insurance Card. Finances All costs linked to the project are covered, including food, accommodation, insurance and transportation during the stay at the project. Travel costs to and from the camp place are not covered. Participants should organise their journey to and from the project place by themselves and on their own expenses. Furthermore, participants should bring their own pocket money.

Location: Muhlhausen

Location and Leisure: Mühlhausen, located in Thuringia, is a town renowned for its well-preserved medieval architecture and its role in major historical events. Once one of the most powerful Free Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire, Mühlhausen flourished as a thriving commercial and religious centre during the Middle Ages. In the Mühlhausen suburb of St. Petri, a historically important quarter beyond the medieval city walls, a group of remarkably original half-timbered buildings has been preserved in a prominent corner location. This area was historically home to artisans and labourers linked to stone and mortar trades, such as lime burners, stonemasons, and tile makers, who played a crucial role in the town’s construction economy. The ensemble at Zinkengasse 36 consists of four single-room houses, each constructed at different periods, situated on three contiguous plots now forming a protected historical courtyard. The corner house, identified through dendrochronological analysis as dating back to the 1350s, is the oldest structure in the group, with over 600 years of continuous history. This building retains early carpentry techniques, including sword tenon joints and a continuous rail beam, methods no longer in use in later timber construction. This collection of buildings is being developed as a heritage documentation and research site, offering a unique perspective on urban working-class life in the 17th century. The ensemble will be transformed into a museum-like setting, providing insight into the living conditions of ordinary townspeople while preserving the architectural authenticity of the structures.

Airport: FRA

Train/Bus station: Mühlhausen Train Station

Requirements: Special requirements are sending a CV,(in English) application form, and motivation letter to office@heritagevolunteers.eu prior to selection there will be an interview. Candidates should be interested in the topic of the project / training course and demonstrate it in the motivation letter and interview.

Will be provided in the infosheet

Additional documentation required:

Please use the link below to download the document and complete it with your information:  https://vivemexico.org/descargas/EuropeanHeritageVolunteersApplicationForm.pdf 

Language: eng

Extra Fee: 150 EUR