Be a Camp Leader at Lohra Castle

CODE: OH-C02

Work:

The camp leader acts as a bridge between the volunteers, the organization, and the technical leaders overseeing the practical work. Their primary role is to support the group from a social and intercultural perspective. This is a great opportunity to develop leadership, organizational, and intercultural skills while making a meaningful impact. Camp leaders must work independently while collaborating with co-leaders and technical staff. The role demands effort, empathy, and teamwork but also offers a fulfilling and fun experience. Open Houses encourages creativity and provides guidance and training. Before leading a camp, leaders will participate as regular volunteers to familiarise themselves with the role.
Responsibilities include social and organizational leadership (welcoming volunteers, introducing them to the camp, and organizing daily schedules, including work, meals, and breaks), group coordination (such as managing rotating cooking and cleaning teams, purchasing food, and overseeing meal preparation), organizing leisure activities (planning evening events like campfires, barbecues, and games, as well as weekend trips to nearby towns), providing team support (staying in close contact with technical leaders, assisting in work tasks when needed, and helping coordinate working groups) and general camp management tasks including handling finances, documenting activities through notes and photos, and leading evaluations.

Accomodation and food

Accommodation at Open Houses projects reflects the organisation’s ethos of simplicity, shared responsibility, and community spirit. Volunteers stay in rustic but fair conditions, often within the historic sites they are helping to maintain. While the facilities are basic, they provide all essential necessities, including shared rooms, communal kitchens, and sanitary facilities. A key aspect of the experience is the collective preparation of meals—participants take turns cooking, introducing dishes from their home countries, and fostering a spirit of camaraderie through shared meals. This collaborative approach strengthens bonds among volunteers, making the experience as much about cultural exchange as it is about practical work. Food is fully provided as part of the programme, ensuring that volunteers do not face additional costs. Importantly, Open Houses does not use the fees participants pay to finance the projects; these funds remain with their sending organisations, reinforcing the programme’s non-commercial and volunteer-driven nature.

Location and leisure

Lohra Castle, located in northern Thuringia, Germany, stands as one of the region’s most representative medieval fortifications located in the vicinity of important trade routes that connected the medieval world of central Europe. Though its present form is modest, the castle continues to command a striking position within the hilly landscape near a natural reserve. With a history spanning over a thousand years, the site reflects multiple layers of architectural evolution, shaped by shifting political, economic, and social contexts over the centuries.
The architectural ensemble of Lohra Castle presents a rich assortment of historical styles, with elements dating back to the 11th century. Among its most remarkable features is a Romanesque double-floored chapel from the 12th century, an exceptional structure that highlights early medieval religious architecture. Traces of medieval fortifications and towers, as well as a Renaissance-era manor house, further illustrate the site’s transformation from a medieval defensive stronghold into a more residential and agricultural complex.
Despite its historical significance, Lohra Castle was abandoned for several decades, leading to neglect and structural deterioration. In the 1990s, the site was rediscovered and revitalised through the efforts of Open Houses, which has since used the castle as a base for heritage conservation, cultural initiatives, and international collaboration. Today, it serves as a centre for hands-on restoration projects organised by Open Houses´ daughter organisation European Heritage Volunteers, as well as training courses organised by partner educational institutions, and volunteer-driven maintenance efforts such as this workcamp, welcoming participants from across the world to engage with its unique built heritage.

Project hosted by

Open Houses. is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and revitalisation of historic buildings through volunteer-driven initiatives. It emerged from grassroots efforts to restore abandoned heritage sites in East Germany and has since expanded into a European network fostering heritage conservation, cultural exchange, and community engagement.
The organisation believes that heritage should be actively lived, not just preserved as static monuments. By creating open spaces where people from diverse backgrounds can collaborate, Open Houses promotes a participatory approach to heritage conservation. Through international workcamps, training courses, and long-term volunteer programmes, participants engage in hands-on restoration, sustainable site management, and skill-building activities.
Volunteering is at the heart of Open Houses fostering a spirit of collective effort, learning, and cultural exchange. The organisation provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to contribute to meaningful projects, offering hands-on experiences that promote teamwork, self-reliance, and cross-cultural understanding. Through workcamps, mid-term volunteering, and leadership programmes, participants develop practical skills, engage with local communities, and take an active role in maintaining shared spaces. By creating non-commercial, inclusive environments, Open Houses. encourages personal growth, social responsibility, and the strengthening of international networks based on collaboration and mutual respect.
As the parent organisation of European Heritage Volunteers, Open Houses also plays a key role in coordinating conservation projects across Europe, supporting grassroots initiatives, and advocating for heritage as a shared cultural responsibility beyond national borders.

Directions to meeting point

Information about the meeting point will be provided in the infosheet

Additional comments

An allowance of 150 euros is paid to the Camp Leader upon completion of each 2-week long workcamp that has been led successfully.