Photo Gallery Building a Medieval Monastery
In the spring of 2013, construction will begin on an authentic medieval monastery town near Messkirch, in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg. Here, a model of the project.
Experts involved in the project are using the "Guédelon Castle," shown here, as an example. Builders in Burgundy have been constructing the new castle using 13th-century techniques since 1997. Every year, the site attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Here, a worker is shown at Guédelon Castle. No modern equipment will be allowed at the German monastery site, either.
"We want to work as authentically as possible," says Bert Geurten, the contracter behind the ambitious project, which will take an estimated 40 years to complete.
Here, another view of the monastery project model. The first building to go up will be a small wooden church. Ninth-century craftsmen did not want to postpone their prayers until the stone church was finished, so they constructed a simple wooden church as an interim arrangement until they could move into the magnificent stone building decades later.
Here, more workers in Guédelon Castle: Such experiments offer a rare glimpse into the everyday life of past centuries. Indeed, there is often only one way to find out how people once built their homes, prepared their food or sewed their clothes -- by recreating the historic experience.
A rope winch at Guédelon Castle, where the strict adherence to medieval conditions have been popular with tourists. "A survey of visitors to Guédelon Castle has shown that people want to return, on average, every three years," explains Geurten. "They want to see the castle grow and follow its progress."
A work room at Guédelon Castle: There will be no rain jackets and no coffee at the Messkirch construction site.
A blacksmith's table at Guédelon Castle: Blacksmiths at the German site will also work using 9th-century tools and techniques. "They won't be hammering kitschy horseshoes for tourists. The forge must supply the site with tools," Geurten says.
