📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The ESC project is held at the ruin of a castle in Western Bohemia called Hartenberg. It is organized by the local NGO Hartenberg that protects and renovates heritage, supports volunteering and social entrepreneurship, runs cultural and educational activities and works with children and youth. The castle is one of the oldest ones in the Czech Republic and was almost destroyed during several fires in the 1980s. With the help of volunteers, the ruins have been renovated since 2000. The aim of this project is to help to renovate the castle and its surroundings. In this project, you are actively working for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities (UN SDG11).
💼 What the programme involves
Work: The tasks will be mainly manual, related to the reconstruction and maintenance of the castle and its surroundings, such as: separating construction material, removing rubble, cleaning, painting, maintaining paths, working in the castle park and terraces, and other tasks according to the current needs of the local partner. Please bring old working clothes and solid shs.Study part: You will have the opportunity to the meet local community, to learn about the history of the castle and also social and cultural projects that are organized there nowadays. You will get to know the region and its history (e.g. restoration of landscape after mining).
🏠 Accommodation on site
In a cottage near the castle. There is a bigger room for sleeping upstairs and a common room with a fireplace downstairs. The accommodation is very basic. There are beds, but you need to bring your own sleeping bag. The toilet and showers are in a shelter that is located in the courtyard. You will cook together as a group. Bring your favourite recipes.
📍 About the location
GPS coordinates: 50.2214587 - 12.5753583. The castle ruin is situated in the tiny village of Hrebeny (79 inhabitants) in Western Bohemia. Hrebeny is part of the village of Josefov (358 people). The closest towns are Sokolov or Karlovy Vary. The castle ruin is from 12th century and the area has beautiful nature.Meeting point: Hrebeny (district Sokolov). The meeting time is usually in the afternoon. Please note it takes 3-4 hours to get there from Prague. The exact info will be provided in the infosheet.Leisure time: You can go hiking in the mountainous countryside, visit some of the famous spa-towns in the region (e.g. Karlovy Vary), go caning, horse-riding or swimming, etc.