World Heritage Summer School: Upper Middle Rhine Valley

CODE: DE-SCI 10.99

Description: This two-week field course in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley offers students a unique opportunity to actively engage with World Heritage preservation. The course introduces participants to the UNESCO World Heritage Program and focuses on the cultural landscape of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, its geomorphology, viticulture, and settlement history. Students explore how sustainable development, monument preservation, and tourism interact in this region, and gain practical experience in landscape and biotope maintenance. The course is interdisciplinary and combines geography, botany, geology, and heritage studies.

Type of Work: Students will actively participate in the maintenance of selected places within the World Heritage Site. This includes biotope care, monument conservation tasks, and hands-on activities such as building a traditional dry-stone wall. The work is carried out during excursions to villages, castles, and natural sites. A boat trip on the Rhine and visits to Koblenz and typical villages provide context. Students are expected to contribute to manual tasks and group work throughout the course.

Study Theme: The academic focus includes: The UNESCO World Heritage Program The special characteristics of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley as a World Heritage Site Geomorphology and the genesis of the landscape The relationship between viticulture, biotope maintenance, and cultural landscape Urban and rural development between heritage protection and Rhine Romanticism Insights into the planning of the Bundesgartenschau 2029 Participants keep a structured learning diary, documenting experiences, academic insights, and reflections throughout the course.

Accommodation: Participants stay in a local youth hostel in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, where accommodation and meals are provided free of charge. Living and working together with an international group of young people is an essential part of the experience.

Language: English

Requirements: No formal prerequisites. However, participants should: Have a basic understanding and interest in botany, geology, and monument protection. Be physically fit for outdoor fieldwork and excursions. Be prepared for intensive full-day activities.

Approximate Location: The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stretches between Bingen and Koblenz. It is known for its beautiful river landscapes, steep vineyards, medieval castles, and picturesque villages. The area combines natural beauty with centuries of cultural history. Excursions offer the chance to explore this unique region by foot, boat, and bus.

Notes: The project partner needs a minimum number of participants to be able to realize the project. Please wait with the purchase of your travel tickets until we give you the final confirmation.