Summer School
2026 EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
The European Industrial Heritage Summer School is an academic program based in Berlin. Together with 23 students from all around the world we look into different topics surrounding Industrial Heritage. The 2026 Summer School will focus on transformation of Industrial Heritage worldwide. We look forward to your application!
Transformation of Industrial Heritage
9–20 August 2026 in Berlin
The European Industrial Heritage Summer School is an intensive 10-day academic program. The unique combination of theoretical discussions, site visits and workshops in a collaborative format provides a holistic learning experience for our participants. This year we will explore different forms of transformation of industrial heritage sites such as factories, social housing, mills, mines, ports, railways and power plants.
The course is aimed at students from a wide range of disciplines, including museum studies, cultural studies, history – especially public history, industrial archaeology, cultural and tourism management, architecture and urban planning, as well as conservation, sustainability and communication studies. Students from other disciplines are also warmly welcome.
Application phase: 1 March until 10 April 2026
Click here for all key factsPreparation
Prior to the Summer School, you will visit an industrial heritage site, preferably in your home region. Later, in Berlin, you will present the site to the group. Ideally, this will be a site on the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) [www.erih.net]. If necessary, we can help you find a suitable site. Once we have confirmed your participation, we will send you a questionnaire for your visit. If you can’t visit the site in person, you can alternatively research online and arrange a video call with a member of staff at your chosen site.
On 25 July, we will meet online for a mandatory pre-meeting. You will get to know the other participants and the Summer School team and be able to ask any questions you may have.
Impressions Summer School 2024
On site in Berlin
During the first half of the Summer School we will focus on gaining knowledge and discussing the overall theme of industrial heritage. What exactly is industrial heritage? What are the different sites of industrial heritage? What does transformation comprise in the context of industrial heritage? Are there examples of good practice for transforming industrial heritage sites? In sessions with inspiring experts, you will deepen your knowledge of industrial heritage and current opportunities of transformation. We will discuss reuse, conservation, sustainability and social change. In this phase of the Summer School you will also present your visited site e.g. a factory, powerplant or railway track.
In the second half of the Summer School, we will discuss the main challenges and questions.
We will start with a creative workshop to face the challenges of transforming industrial heritage. As a participant, you will work in small groups to develop solutions and initial project ideas. You will contribute your knowledge and skills. You will practice intercultural communication, the organization of a joint project and acquire methodological skills. The Summer School team will be there to advise you. At the end, you will present your concepts and share your experiences. To wrap up the program, we are planning some exciting visits to industrial heritage sites in Berlin.
Wrap-up
After the Summer School you are warmly invited to stay in contact with the European Route of Industrial Heritage and become part of the Young Professional Network. The Summer School and results of the working groups will be presented at the ERIH annual conference in October.
Our Partner
The Summer School 2026 is organized by the bzi with the support of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) and in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Berlin (HTW Berlin).
ERIH Young Professionals Network
One student project from the Summer School 2023 has already been implemented. The idea for an „ERIH Young Professionals Network“ was presented to the ERIH Network at the Annual Conference in November 2023. Since then the network has been growing. We invite you to join the ERIH Young Professionals Network and connect with students all over Europe.
We are delighted that work is continuing on individual projects and that we were able to invite all students from our Summer School 2024 to present their projects in an online session of the ERIH Young Professional Network.
Email: young-professionals@erih.net
Retrospect
Summer School 2024
Shaping Sustainability in Industrial Heritage
The project work focused on the topics of „Climate communication at industrial heritage sites“, „Berlin clubs as places where young people come into contact with industrial heritage“, „Industrial heritage in a suitcase – a self-exploration on the Wilhelminenhof campus“ and „Giving history a face and a voice – workers in Oberschöneweide“.
A group of doctoral students worked on creating a matrix for dealing with the topic of sustainability at industrial heritage sites.
Summer School 2023
Industrial Heritage x Sustainability
Award Winning Summer School 2023
In August we welcomed 17 young people from Europe and beyond in Berlin for our first Industrial Heritage Summer School. For two weeks we discussed the connection between industrial heritage and sustainability.
The great diversity of the different study backgrounds of our students enriched the Summer School immensely. We had students of:
Museum Studies, Cultural Studies, (Public) History, Industrial Archaeology, Culture and Tourism Management, Architecture and Urban Planning, as well as Historic Preservation, Sustainability and Communication Studies with us.
Together we visited several sites of industrial heritage in Berlin and met with experienced colleagues at the Museum of Technology, the Pfefferberg, the Historic Port and Tempelhof Airport, the Peter-Behrens-Bau and the former Kulturhaus in Schöneweide.
In discussions with international Industrial Heritage experts, the students developed projects of their own. They met experts such as TICCIH President Miles Oglethorpe (Scotland), ERIH Vice President Adam Hajduga (Poland) or Public Historian Donna Graves (USA).
The Summer School 2023 was rewarded with the „Best Practice Award“ of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.
If you want to know more, please read the HTW Berlin „Campus-Story„.
Our partner
Study & Work Camp 2021
Behind the Scenes – Discover Industrial Heritage
Was ist „Industrial Heritage“ oder „Industriekultur“ eigentlich? Warum ist sie relevant für Berlin? Wer bewahrt das industriekulturelle Erbe und wie können wir alle zu seinem Erhalt beitragen?
Wir haben im Sommer 2021 junge Erwachsene aus ganz Europa eingeladen, diese Fragen gemeinsam mit uns in verschiedenen Workshops zu beantworten. Gekommen sind 14 Teilnehmer:innen aus sieben Nationen – aus Deutschland, Frankreich, Bulgarien, Italien, Polen und sogar aus Japan und Mexiko.
Zwei Wochen lang erkundeten die 17- bis 26-Jährigen die Hauptstadt und blickten hinter die Kulissen der Berliner Industriekultur. Auf dem Programm standen spannende Führungen, das Erlernen von Restaurierungstechniken und viele Gespräche mit Kunst- und Kulturschaffenden. Das Camp endete mit einem restauratorischen Arbeitseinsatz im Dokumentationszentrum NS-Zwangsarbeit.
Gemeinsam mit den Internationalen Jugendgemeinschaftsdiensten (ijgd), der European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) und dem Studiengang „Konservierung, Restaurierung, Grabungstechnik“ der Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (HTW Berlin) haben wir das Camp 2021 erstmalig organisiert.
Unsere Kooperationspartner
