Handwerk & Baukultur | Craft & Building Culture — Craft Courtyards in the UNESCO World Heritage Region Semmering

Johanna Digruber

The UNESCO World Heritage Region Semmering possesses an extraordinarily rich stock of historic buildings. At the same time, knowledge of traditional construction methods is being lost and skilled craftspeople are becoming increasingly rare. Only 1.5% of Austria’s building stock is listed as a protected monument – yet around 20% consists of traditional buildings for which this knowledge is equally urgently needed. Preserving existing structures is the most sustainable form of construction: no new raw materials, no embodied energy – traditional materials such as lime are CO₂-binding and make an active contribution to climate protection.
The pilot concept “Handwerk & Baukultur” was developed in 2022 by Arch. DI Johanna Digruber – independently initiated and implemented from the initial research idea through to EU nomination, emerging from the BMKOES-funded research project Pilotinstrument Land.
At its core was a participatory process: 143 people developed 34 projects in five focus groups in 2023, resulting in an action plan. For implementation, J. Digruber concluded a cooperation agreement with the 8 municipalities on the Lower Austrian side of the World Heritage Region Semmering-Rax – aiming to establish the Craftsmen’s Court across the entire UNESCO World Heritage Region. The methodological innovation: knowledge is created directly at the historic object. A cross-sectoral innovation network and a broad cooperation network comprising heritage conservation (BDA), Erasmus+ projects, craftspeople and schools have been driving implementation since 2024.
Five pilot trainings and a school programme – sensitising children and young people to building culture at an early stage – as well as public events and regional networking demonstrate the success. As a transferable model for rural regions across Europe, the project was nominated by the Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land for the Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Award 2026 (ARIA) of the EU Commission. >> www.handwerk-baukultur.at

Project Gallery

Pilottraining - Hands ON | Posthof Schottwien © ARGE Handwerk & Baukultur.jpg

Pilottraining - Praxis, Fassade | Gut St Christoph © ARGE Handwerk & Baukultur.jpg

Pilottraining - Theorie | Kurhaus Semmering © ARGE Handwerk & Baukultur.jpg

Handwerk & Baukultur geht auf die Walz! - Veranstaltung | LH © ARGE Handwerk & Baukultur.jpg

Handwerk & Baukultur - Beteiligungsprozess © HARDDECOR ARCHITEKTUR .jpg

Einfach bauen! | Veranstaltung, IG Architektur © ARGE Handwerk & Baukultur.jpg

Johanna Digruber AT

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