Summer School
2026 EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
The European Industrial Heritage Summer School is an academic program based in Berlin. In 2026 we welcomed 23 students from all around the world to look into different topics surrounding Industrial Heritage. For two weeks we focused on „Transformation of Industrial Heritage“ worldwide. With their different study backgrounds ranging from architecture to history and from engineering to conservation, the students developed innovative project ideas.
Transformation of Industrial Heritage
9–20 August 2026 in Berlin
The unique combination of theoretical discussions, site visits and workshops in a collaborative format provided a holistic learning experience for our participants. Factories, ports, mines, power plants, railway stations: industrial sites that have lost their original function and are now being re-evaluated. In terms of space, society and politics.
23 participants from 16 countries spent around two weeks exploring the theme of ‘Transformation of Industrial Heritage’. The students’ very diverse academic backgrounds – including architecture, urban planning, restoration, museology, history, design, sociology, philosophy and management – greatly enriched the exchange of different perspectives on the topic. An intercultural training session during the onboarding process supported the participants and the team in working together.
Excursions took the group to fascinating sites of transformation, ranging from the Industriesalon Schöneweide e.V. to the Historic Harbour of Berlin and the Natur Park Südgelände. Speakers from Berlin, the ERIH-Network, Georgia and Taiwan shared their perspectives. ERIH Secretary-General Christiane Baum provided an overview of the challenges ERIH sites facing across Europe. In poster sessions, the students presented projects from their home countries or countries of study and collectively gathered challenges and ideas relating to the transformation sites presented.
After transformation and Design Thinking Workshops, the students worked in groups on different project ideas. They presented their final concepts in front of experts from Berlin and across Europe.
Impressions Summer School 2026
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 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.
Impressions Summer School 2024
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
