Guardians of Lohra Castle: A Living Heritage Experience

CODE: OH-W01

Work:

Project description
Lohra Castle, with its centuries-old architecture and vast natural surroundings, is not only a site of historical significance but also a living, functioning place that requires continuous care and attention. This workcamp offers volunteers the opportunity to actively contribute to the sustainable management of the castle, ensuring that its grounds remain accessible, welcoming, and well preserved. While this workcamp does not involve hands-on heritage conservation interventions, it plays an equally essential role in the long-term care of the site, allowing future visitors and guests to experience and appreciate Lohra Castle as a harmoniously maintained historic and natural space.
The volunteers will engage in seasonal maintenance tasks, including mowing and collecting overgrown grass, clearing organic material from public areas, and ensuring that the castle’s open spaces remain well-kept. These tasks are crucial for the aesthetic and functional upkeep of the historic ensemble, preserving the visual integrity of the castle and its surroundings. The work also extends to the general maintenance of communal spaces and halls, contributing to the overall experience of visitors who use the castle for cultural events, educational programmes, and retreats. The income generated from these activities is directly reinvested into the castle’s conservation and educational projects, meaning that the work of volunteers directly supports heritage preservation efforts, even if not through conservation itself.
Beyond the practical tasks, the workcamp offers a unique and immersive experience. When the castle closes its doors to the public in the evenings, it becomes the volunteers' home, a place where they can experience the privilege of inhabiting a medieval site. In this way, they take on the role of stewards, caring for the space as if it were their own. The experience encourages a sense of responsibility, ownership, and connection to heritage, reinforcing the idea that heritage sites thrive not only through large-scale restoration projects but also through the daily care and attention given to them by those who value their existence.
The projects of Open Houses are based on sustainable principles, ensuring that Lohra Castle is maintained not just as a historical monument but as a living environment where culture and nature coexist. The castle is surrounded by a vast natural protected area, making its preservation an effort that combines aspects of cultural and natural heritage conservation. Through their contributions, volunteers help safeguard the balance between history and nature, keeping Lohra Castle a welcoming place for future generations of visitors, researchers, and heritage enthusiasts.

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
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, Offene Häuser e.V. 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

Will be informed in the Infosheet

Additional comments

Infosheet with instructions on how to arrive to the Castle will be sent to the volunteers separatedly.