📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The municipality of Eilenburg has been offering successful workcamps for more than 13 years now. The workcamp host is always the youth club House 6 CLOUD (former name was “Falle“ - “Trap“) which is located in former barracks. In the same building, you can find some more social, sportive and cultural projects. For more information please visit https://www.haus6.org/
💼 What the programme involves
Like in the workcamps of the previous years, volunteers are welcome to support the renovation of a public place. This time your support is needed to renew the surroundings of the local Astronomical Observatory Juri Gagarin (https://eilenburg.de/tourismus/sternwarte). You can select from various tasks like maintaining the green area and recreation of the path network below or some renovation in the youth center as well. In general, it is manual work, sometimes physically demanding.
Volunteers will learn about different types of youth culture in Germany. The workcamp is a good opportunity to improve your German language skills as you will be able to be in touch with German native speakers.
For volunteers a presentation at the Astronomical Observatory will be organized. Thus, you will get closer to the stars!
🏠 Accommodation on site
The volunteers will stay at the local youth center called „House VI“. The group can cook for itself in a modern kitchen.
📍 About the location
Eilenburg is a small town with approx. 17.000 inhabitants, situated on the border of the „Duebener Heide“ and approximately 25 km from Leipzig. Its rich history of over thousand years makes it easy to call it one of the cradles of Saxony. The rule of the Wettins-Dynasty beginning with the Earl of Ilburg in the 11th century continued until 1918. Part of their territory is the state of Saxony today.
In medieval times and during industrialization Eilenburg was a rich city. At the time of Martin Luther, its main business was brewery and in the 19th century, it was a national center of textile industries. However, Eilenburg was devastated several times in its history. In April 1945, Eilenburg was almost completely destroyed. The only evidence of former rich times that remained is the „Sorbenturm“ as a remaining part of the Ilburg. It is estimated that it was built in the 12th century at the highest part of the 220m x 150m plateau. A loop footpath outside the castle wall connects the „Sorbenturm“ with the „Amtshaus” (deanery), the former county court. This path was renovated with the help of the volunteers in one of the last workcamps.
The leisure time program will be organized together with the local Eilenburg youth groups and clubs. The focus here lies on the encounter and the interaction with local adolescents. In addition, there are sports activities such as soccer, volleyball, swimming and bowling. A special cultural program and a trip to Leipzig and Berlin are scheduled. You can get to know the rich history of Eilenburg through guided tours in the museum and in the cellars, located on the hill in the city center.
ℹ️ Additional information
You should bring sleeping bags and camping mats. It is necessary to bring work clothes, raingear and sturdy shoes.
