Lost Traces project in Regensburg with pupils from Regensburg, Prague and Avellino are searching for traces around the basilica

In 2018, European Heritage Year events were held across Europe to share a common vision of our rich European cultural heritage. In Regensburg, too, the UNESCO World Heritage Coordination of the Cultural Department of the City of Regensburg invites all citizens to experience cultural heritage and contribute their own cultural backgrounds under the motto "Sharing Heritage". In cooperation with the city of Regensburg, the architects Stephanie Reiterer and Jan Weber-Ebnet initiated the school project LOST TRACES for the non-profit organisation Architektur und Schule e.V.... - a search for architectural traces for young people, on the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Year.

Within the framework of this project, students from the German School Prague, from the Liceo Scientifico "P.S. Mancini" in Avellino and from the Gymnasium Lappersdorf in the former Imperial Abbey of St. Emmeram went on a search for traces from 12th to 15th April. This church complex offered an exciting cultural-historical place where European history and European culture can be read. As an established church in Regensburg, St. Emmeram also offers many places undiscovered by normal guests as well as an unusual relationship to the urban space. The project wanted to examine the cultural site of St. Emmeram more closely and for a short time to raise public awareness.

Under the coordination of Mrs. Reindlmeier, Mr. Weißgerber and Mr. Kufner, various workshops took place, which brought the place even more into the light of the public in historical, architectural, cinematic and photographic terms. The teams of students received active support from Mrs. Grüninger-Schmitz and the project team Stephanie Reiterer and Jan Weber-Ebnet.

After the preparations, the students invited interested parties to present the results of the workshops publicly together with the church community.
After greetings and a short presentation of the project by the team of teachers from Lappersdorf, the students took over the moderation and guided the attendees through the program. First of all, the history of the former monastery was the focus of attention as a theatre group reviewed the changing events. Particularly impressive for the audience were always the interspersed references to the present, for example when the duke's daughter Uta was portrayed as a follower of the #metoo movement. Afterwards, the results of the search for traces of building culture could be viewed. Here, the students built a bridge from Emmeramsplatz into the monastery garden by setting up a green oasis in the city space on some parking lots and signposts into the church area. The students were then able to see a cross-section of the interviews in which passers-by in Regensburg were asked about their knowledge of St. Emmeram. Furthermore, their opinions on Europe, the German-Czech and German-Italian relations were also expressed, which often led to amusement among the spectators.

The final event was the exhibition of the photo group in the orchard in bright sunshine. While a band of students from different nations accompanied the scenery, the guests were guided through the presentation of the results.

For the project participants and the guests it was impressive to see the commitment and energy with which the pupils worked on this project. It was clear to see the joy with which they shaped and promoted the project. In the individual multinational teams of students, everyone worked hand in hand and it was tangible how the European idea worked.

For the pupils the project "lost traces" will be a topic for a longer time. In June they will go on a return visit to Prague, where they want to rediscover "Collbenka 1704" for the public. At the end of September they will become godparents of the church Chiesa di Monserrato in Avellino. For those interested, a blog was also created in which the students present the progress of the project to the public. Under "echy.gymlap.de" the individual actions can be read up again.