Our Project Activities

Due to the great interest, the EliCCon exhibition in the municipal library in Rastatt was extended until 31 October 2020.

EliCCon-Exhibition in the City Library in Rastatt
3rd of July till 31st of August

More than 60 posters give a deep insight into the diversity of the intangible cultural heritage in the Czech Republic, Spain, the United Kingdom,
Germany and Switzerland. Each culture is unique and yet they are based on a common history in Europe.
Each poster was accompanied by a short explanatory text.
The exhibition can be visited during the opening hours of the library in compliance with the Corona rules (mouth protection, distance)
Link to the City Library Rastatt
Link to the Online-Gallery of the EliCCon-Exhibition in Rastatt

The Virtual Peter-and-Paul Festival in Bretten 2020

During the Corona pandemic, large gatherings and celebrations are not possible.
The 4-day Peter and Paul Festival, which attracts over 100,000 visitors every year in Bretten, had to be cancelled.
Last year, a ten-member photo team from the European Photo Academy documented the marvellous festival.
The festival would actually take place from 2 to 5 July 2020. Now there is a virtual alternative with over 90 hours of programme
on medieval themes, craftsmanship, fights, jugglers and much more.
People all over the world can take part in this cultural highlight in this way.
You can find the Virtual Peter and Paul Festival 2020 on the homepage: www.peter-und-paul.de



On 13th of February 2020 Laurence Thorn from PraxisEurope presented Lived Traditions in Birmingham and UK
in an international Webinar. The record of the webinar can be watched on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/EMUfBkHITYk



Save the date! International Webinar of the Colourful Lived Traditions in the UK on 13th of February!

On Thursday 13 February 2020, 19.00 to 20.00 CET, Laurence Thorn of PraxisEurope will present exciting examples
from the colourful diversity of living traditions in the United Kingdom in an International Webinar. Don't miss this event!

Before the webinar, navigate to the following start page of the Virtual Seminar Room: https://artwebdesign.adobeconnect.com/gessler
Enter your name and country and click on "Enter Room". You will then be granted access to the webinar.

The documentary maker and journalist Arnold-Jan Scheer from Netherlands made an interesting Video of the
so-called "Belzemärtl" in the Black Forest, which is a very old tradition with a pagan origin. You can watch the video on Vimeo
(click at picture) :




On 23rd of January 2020 the spanish project partner Inerciadigital presented the
colourful world of lived traditions in Andalucia/Spain in an International Webinar.
23 participants from 5 nations enjoyed the presentation. It was recorded and those,
who didn't have the time to join the webinar on that day can watch the webinar as
a video on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/Gsqpq9-NV6U


Save the date! Next international webinar is coming soon!



The next international webinars about Lived Traditions in Europe will take place on
23rd of January 2020, Online Trainer will be the spanish project partner and
13th of February 2020, Online Trainer will be the british project partner.
The webinars are conducted from 19.00 - 20.00 CET. If you want to join, please contact us!
Email: info@art-web-design.eu

On 5th of December 2019 the czech project partner presented an impressive kaleidoscope of the
Lived Cultural Heritage in the Moravian-Silesian region, which is in the east of the Czech Republic with
Ostrava as the urban center of the region.
We uploaded the record of the webinar on Youtube. Please click on the picture to watch the webinar!



On 28th of November 2019 the german project partner presented a colourful picture of
lived traditions in the South of Germany. Additionally the definition and aspects of Lived Culture was discussed.
The webinar has been recorded and uploaded on Youtube
(Click on "Youtube" or on the picture below for watching the webinar)


The 4th Transnational Project Meeting took place in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
Hosting organisation was the czech project partner ALVIT - innovation and education.
The teams used the meeting to discuss the proceedings of the european project and its further milestones like
transnational webinars and the development of an e-book.

The project teams took the opportunity to open the third international EliCCon-Exhibition in the Michal Mine in Ostrava-Michálkovice,
which is a former coal mine that has been transformed into a museum of mining. In 1995 the mine site was declared as a national cultural heritage
in Czech Republic. Therefore the Michal Mine is an excellent venue for the exhibtion showing the colourful world of lived traditions in Europe.
The photos and posters are shown in 50x70 cm formats and at the opening they were also shown as a slideshow.
On the opening of the exhibition at 11th of October 2019 Ing. Martin Pokorny, the director of the czech project partner
ALVIT - innovation and education, welcomed the multinational guests from ten different countries.
The exhibition can be seen in the Michal Mine in Ostrava till 16th of November 2019.

Pre-announcement: The next EliCCon-exhibition will be opened in the historical Michal Mine in Ostrava, Czech Republic
on 11th of October, 19.00. Organizing project partner is ALVIT Innovation and education s.r.o.
The Michal Mine represents the Industrial heritage and coal mining in North Moravia. The present technical state of the mine site
has been preserved in the original condition from 1912 – 1915, when the mine was fully reconstructed, making one of the most modern and
progressive, fully electrified mining companies. In 1995 the mine site was declared a national cultural monument and since
April 2000 it has been opened to the public.



26th and 27th of July 2019
Opening of the EliCCon-Exhibition in Birmingham and Third Transnational Project Meeting
The Third Transnational Project Meeting and the Opening of the Second EliCCon-Exhibition took place in Birmingham, July 25, 2019!
The hosting partner was the team from Praxis Europe. The opening of the exhibition about the Lived Cultural Heritage in the participating countries took
place in the facilities of the South and City College Birmingham. All teams explained their exposures and additionally presentations from all teams showed
examples of the lived cultural heritage in their country. The teams took the opportunity to visit the colourful lived culture in Birmingham, e.g. the canals,
the museum, the library with original books from Shakespeare, typical restaurants, the gothic church St. Martin, the Bullring Market and other locations.
The EliCCon-Exhibition will touring through the network of Praxis Europe to different campuses in Birmingham, but also to other places like in hospitals!











24th of July 2019
The next EliCCon-exhibition has been prepared with exciting photos and photo collages of the lived traditions in Europe!



22nd of June 2019
The german term "GAUTSCHEN" stands for a long tradition from the typesetters, who practiced the letterpress printing.
Johann Gutenberg from Mainz/Germany invented the moveable-type printing method in the 15th century. He unleashed a technical revolution,
after which books from monasteries gradually reached all sections of the society. His invention spread quickly throughout Europe and
then all over the world.

Today all prints are done with modern, digital technique. But the tradition of "Gautschen" is still alive. It is an official graduation ceremony, which
can be tracked since the 16th century in the german speaking countries. The graduates are submerged several times in a big vessel
with cold water and/or sit on a big wet sponge. After the festive and funny ceremony they are getting a "Gautschbrief", which is
the official document, that they are now a member of the professional group of the art of typography.

....
"Gautschen" 2019 in Mainz / Germany
You can find a video and informations about the "Gautschen" - festival 2019 in Mainz HERE

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May 2019
EliCCon-Exhibition in Huelva / Spain!


March 2019
The picture shows students performing from the dance academy in Birmingham which combines modern
dances with traditional British dancing such as Morris dancing
 

March 2019
Lived Cultural Heritage pure: HORSES!
In 2015, the Spanish Riding School was included in the UNESCO International List of Intangible Cultural Heritage!
In the United Kingdom the queen is the most popular owner of many beautiful horses. The country has a long tradition for horses
and sports with horses, e.g. horse racing and polo. Currently in Germany there are more than 1 million horses. The oldest breeding farm
for horses exist more than 500 years! It is located in the South of Germany in Marbach and nearby. The EliCCon-Team visited this
breeding farm, where modern sport horses, arabian horses, but also old breeds can be seen.





From time to time the breeding farm in Marbach organizes auctions in order to sell those horses, which are not used for breeding.
Many people are interested to get one of these excellent horses.

February 2019
Women from the historical association in Lichtenau practise an old tradition in Germany: They make straw sandals!
The women weave braids with a length of 7-9 meters out of the leaves from corncobs. Then they sew straw sandals
with strong bented needles. Altogether they need 20 hours manual work till the sandals are ready. The witches from the
swabian-alemannic carnival often wear such straw sandals. But they are also excellent home slippers. 

Street food event in Stratford Upon Avon. Street food is a large part of British culture, and street food units can be seen at every public event.



Meanwhile street food markets become very attractive also in Germany. Here a photo from the street food market in Buehl in October 2018.




February 27, 2019
Swabian-alemannic carnival: witches in connection with fire always had its special magic.
One habit in the swabian alemannic carnival is the so called "Hexensprung", where the witches are jumping through the fire.
Here is a witch from the "Bühler Hexenzunft", the witch guild from Bühl/Germany. Hundreds of people came to this event!


Photo by Matthias Gessler

February 26, 2019
The regional press BNN (Badische Neueste Nachrichten) in Rastatt reported from the EliCCon project


To read the whole article, please click at the picture!


February 2019
Germany: In the South of Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland the Alemannic Carnival takes place in February and
many parades can be seen.The old-historical fool guild in Offenburg/Germany celebrated its 175th anniversary.
A huge carnival parade with over 5000 masks mainly from the Alemannic Carnival took place at the weekend.
25 000 guests came to Offenburg, the parade was broadcasted live.

...

January 2019

The picture shows a public bus also in Coventry. Busses have existed in the UK for over 100 years
and London is famous for its red buses, but outside of the UK it is not commonly known that each city has its
own distinctive style of bus, which is down to both the companies and the council in the cities.



January 17, 2019
Press release in the newspaper "DIE RHEINPFALZ"
The newspaper reports about the exhibition in Germersheim "FORTRESSES"


Additionally the local press of the city Germersheim, the "Stadtanzeiger Germersheim" reported from the exhibition
January 18, 2019. They also mentioned the EliCCon-Projekt in their report.


January 2019
The thermal bath CARACALLA in Baden-Baden has its name from the former roman imperator Caracalla, who let enlarge the
roman spa resort in Baden-Baden around 200 after Christ. The roman ruins of the old baths can be seen nearby. This building was built
in the 80th on the place of the Augustabad according the plannings of the architect Hans-Dieter Hecker.
Nowadays people from all over the world enjoy the famous spa. /Photo by Matthias Gessler.


http://www.carasana.de/de/caracalla-therme.html

January 2019
Coal mining is directly related to the long history of Ostrava, which is today the third largest city in the Czech Republic. Coal was discovered
in Ostrava in 1763. 19 years later the mining started there and brought richness with ironworks and coking industries. Today the coal mining
in Ostrava is history, but the city still is influenced by its long coal mining industry.



January 2019
UK: a local Beer and Gin festival held in Birmingham every year.
The British Pub Culture is one of our longest and most famous traditions dating back hundreds of years.




January 11, 2019
Opening of the exhibition "FORTRESSES", which was qualified as a contribution to the Year of European Cultural Heritage 2018/2019
The exhibition will run until March 15, 2019. Fortresses are in many aspects a part of the lived cultural heritage in Europe, for example
for tourism or as beautiful premises for instituions or companies. Therefore this exhibition is a part of the EliCCon project.



January 2019

Street Artists
UK: A street artist even hosted by a local artists group in Coventry,
which has existed in one form or another for about 600 years in different forms.



January 2019

On 5th of January 2019 the amazing parade of Magic Kings of Higuera de la Sierra took place. This old tradition is in the
catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage and around 30 000 people visit it each year.



January 2019

Carnival is celebrated in many countries, but very different: One of the festivals is the "Three Kings Cavalcade" in Spain:
Three Kings Cavalcade - Every 6th of January, a big parade crosses the cities with religious and children themed rides,
like The Wizard of Oz or Mickey Mouse. The people in the rides then proceed to throw candy and gifts to the kids around.
It intends to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men (Baltasar, Melchor and Gaspar) to the birth of Jesus



December 2018

Meanwhile its a lived tradition in many european countries: the illuminations in the streets and on places during Christmas time.
Here an example from Spain.
Christmas tree and light sets in the central square in Huelva



December 2018
Christmas activity for the children in Huelva/Spain.
A group of actors playing the Three Wise Men receive the letters
with the gift requests from the kids, set in the main shopping mall of Huelva.



December 2018
Advance notice: Exhibition "Fortresses" in Germersheim, Germany
The team of the European Photoacademy is showing photographies and photo collages from fortresses from Germersheim, Landau, Rastatt and Ulm.

There exists the European Culture Route of Fortresses "Forte Cultura", which demonstrates the importance of fortresses for the European Culture.

More informations about FORTE CULTURA can be found here: https://www.forte-cultura.eu/en



The exhibition will start on January 11, 2019 in Germersheim and ends in March 15, 2019.

December 2018
Christmas cribs are very common at Christmas time all over the world. But their design is very different according the artists
and the region where they have been made.



December 2018
In December many traditions around Christmas can be found in Europe. Some of them are similiar like the numerous Christmas markets.
Also special local traditions can be found like the "Belzemärtel", a dark figure around midwinter.


November 2018
All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day and Halloween
Halloween is celebrated in the night between 31st of October and 1st of November as a party in some locations in Germany,
Spain or the Czech Republic. It is more popular in the United Kingdom.
Many people place grave lights and flowers on the cemetry on All Saints' Day on 1st of November.

....

November 9, 2018
Some decades ago in many cities and villages of Germany there was a so called "Dorfbott". He went in regular intervals
through the city or village, usually by bike, and told the people the local news. Two years ago this tradition was resumed within
another project called SoNaTe, that wants to increase communication and digital networks within communities.



October 21 - 24, 2018
The Kick-Off Meeting of the EliCCon Project took place in Rastatt. The teams from Birmingham, Ostrava, Aljaraque and
Rastatt exchanged informations and ideas about the project. The teams will present their first exhibition and conference about the
European Lived Heritage in May 2019 in Spain! During the hosting partner, European Photoacademy from Rastatt, took the opportunity
to present the teams some cultural highlights of the region.

The project teams in front of the baroque castle in Rastatt	Visit of the famous thermal springs in Baden-Baden
Introduction of the teams in the premises of the European Photoacademy	Visit of an exhibition about fortresses in the German Federal Archive in the baroque castle in Rastatt. The European Photoacademy photographed fortresses from the 19th century.

October 2018
The EliCCon Project was officially qualified as contribution to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018! We are present
on the homepage "Sharing Heritage", which is the official german page for the European Cultural Heritage 2018.
For more informations, please click at the picture



October 2018
In autumn many traditional Thanksgiving festivals take place in Germany. Long parades showing many regional traditions are organized
from the locals. Of course, traditional music and dishes are basic elements of the festivals.



September 2018
The german project team conducted several photo reportages for the project, for example on traditional folk festivals and country markets.


Lokal products produced directly from the farmers in the region