The heritage site

The seminar will take place in Marburg's Stadtwald recreation area. It is about an hour's walk from Marburg's historic castle. Buses are also available. The site is beautifully situated in the city forest.

Marburg is a university town and the eighth-largest city in Hesse, with 73,704 inhabitants (2023). The urban area stretches along both sides of the river Lahn, to the west in the Gladenbacher Bergland and to the east over the Lahnberge mountains to the edge of the Amöneburg basin.

Marburg has had city rights since the 13th century. Today, it serves as a regional center in the administrative district of Giessen (Central Hesse). As a large medium-sized city, Marburg, like six other medium-sized cities in Hesse, has a special status in relation to the other municipalities in the district. The city therefore assumes the tasks of the district, so that in many respects it resembles an independent city. Marburg is home to Philipps University, founded in 1527 and the world's oldest surviving Protestant university, which still characterizes the cityscape today with its buildings and student life.

The town owes its name to the fact that a border ("mar[c]") once ran between the territories of the Landgraves of Thuringia and the Archbishops of Mainz. There is no clear historical evidence of this.

Marburg's sights include the Elisabeth Church, the former university, the Landgrave's palace and the old town below, known in Marburg as the "upper town".

Planned restoration work

During the project, volunteers will work on a straw-bale house. The walls will be plastered with clay and lime. An introduction to blacksmithing is also planned. A wooden garden pavilion is to be restored.

We start in the morning at 9am and work until 5pm.

A teacher and two volunteers will be on hand to accompany us. There are three instructors for the work. A carpenter, a clay builder and a blacksmith.

We have two houses where we can sleep. There are different rooms, from 2 to 6 people per room, like a youth hostel. The rooms are not mixed.

Leisure and other activities

There will be free time after work. We'd like to do some activities with the group. Play werewolf, sit by the fire, make music together.

A visit to Marburg is also planned.

Practical info

No specific skills are required to take part.

In the days following your pre-registration, the International Relations Department of REMPART will contact you by e-mail to arrange a telephone conversation.

This will enable us to get to know you better and give you more details about the workcamp (organization, arrival arrangements, etc.).

You can ask us any questions you may have, and let us know what you need to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

You will then receive a roadmap summarizing all useful information about the site.

• By train: Marburg station.

Meet us at Marburg station on Monday May 12 at 5pm. The association will be there to welcome you and take you to the accommodation site.