📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
This project is a collaboration between IBG and the “Bajuwarenhof Kirchheim“. The Bajuwarenhof is described as a ‘project for living archaeology of the early Middle Ages' and a hands-on archaeological open-air museum that you can interact with.
Since 2003, they have been reconstructing an agricultural farmstead as it would have looked in the 6th to 8th century. The basis for this is formed by archaeological finds and features from the municipal area and the surrounding area. At the centre are several residential and farm buildings and their furnishings. There is also an experimental field and various gardens in which cereals, vegetables, herbs and berries but also flax and various dye plants are cultivated. In this way they convey an impression of daily life in the early Middle Ages with the aim of making current archaeological research findings tangible and enabling the visitors to learn more about the history and archaeology of the region around Munich.
Get an impression on their website: https://www.bajuwarenhof.de/
💼 What the programme involves
Together we are going to reconstruct a traditional agricultural farm for living archaeology project of the early Middle Ages. In our attempt to make everything the traditional way, and to honor the spirit of the past by preserving its heritage, we avoid using modern tools. The only materials used will be wood, clay, reed, straw and willow rods. Concrete tasks will be:
• the maintenance of gardens and green spaces
• repairing walls and roofs made of clay and reeds
• the construction of a simple wooden shelter
At the same time, there are numerous opportunities for the participants to try out historical craft techniques and gain experience in working with natural building materials.
If there are disruptions during the main work, smaller tasks can also be carried out on the grounds, for example in garden maintenance, building a clay oven or creating wattle fences.
🏠 Accommodation on site
For the duration of the project, the Workcamp participants will be accommodated in a flat in the industrial zone of Kirchheim. It is a 120m² 4-room flat with a kitchen and a bathroom in each room. The rooms are each furnished with camp beds. Please bring your own sleeping bag and a pillow if needed. It is also possible to barbecue or cook over an open fire on the grounds of the open-air museum.
The route from the accommodation to the open-air museum is easy to manage on foot or by bus. Food will be purchased using the camp budget, and everyone will take turns cooking and cleaning. To reduce our carbon footprint, we encourage volunteers to consume less meat and try more sustainable dishes.
📍 About the location
The municipality of Kirchheim b. München is located in southeastern Germany (Bavaria) to the east of the state capital in the district of Munich and has excellent public transport connections to the city. Around 14,000 people currently live in the municipal districts of Kirchheim, Heimstetten and Hausen.
All everyday facilities are available locally. You will find several supermarkets, restaurants, bars and bakeries nearby. When the weather is nice, you can spend the day at the Heimstettener See in the immediate vicinity of the Bajuwarenhof.
Munich Central Station is only 20 minutes away by S-Bahn. Other destinations in the foothills of the Alps can be reached by train.
