Förderverein Humanistenstätte Engelsburg e.V.

In the page's words:

The "Förderverein Humanistenstätte Engelsburg e.V." was founded in July 1994, bringing together many friends and supporters of the Engelsburg. The non-profit association had set itself the task of preserving the listed building fabric and restoring the monument in keeping with its history.

In February 1996, the following was announced: "By June, the city administration, together with the Förderverein Humanistenstätte Engelsburg e.V., the Studentenclub Engelsburg e.V., the Studentenwerk Erfurt and the Denkmalschutz, will develop a utilization concept and a financing plan for the Humanistenstätte."

On April 30, 1997, the renovation of Engelsburg Castle was a done deal. A municipal funding program as part of the "European Capital of Culture Weimar 99" stipulated that 97.5 percent of the funding for the conversion and extension of Castel Sant'Angelo would be provided by the Thuringian Ministry of Economics and Infrastructure.

The renovation of the building ensemble was completed in December 2000. During the renovation work, the remains of an old bell foundry and evidence of one of the oldest or even the oldest (secular) stone-built houses in Erfurt were discovered. Without the renovation, the Steinhaus inn, the redesigned Café DuckDich, the old vaulted cellar with a new look, the beer garden and the barn that housed the ISIZ, the International Study and Information Center, would not exist today. Today, the WIESEL | Alles rund ums Studium, a cooperative project of the Engelsburg Student Center, the Studentenwerk Thüringen, the University and University of Applied Sciences Erfurt and the city administration of Erfurt, is located in the barn.

The result was an attractive meeting place for students at Erfurt's universities and a revitalization of student life.

During the renovation work, only the Bohlenstube remained, which was still awaiting restoration. From November 2010 to August 2011, the Bohlenstube was restored with funding from the city and the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture as part of the Luther Decade. The University Society provided significant support for the restoration of the legendary "humanist's nave". The wooden room was ceremoniously opened to the public on Open Monument Day in September 2011. A film was made documenting the restoration work.

Anyone interested can take a look at our Bohlenstube during guided tours (please register via this website). Of course, it will also be possible to visit it in the future during the Open Monument Days.

The Friends' Association organizes "regular" events: Lectures and guided tours on the architectural history of Castel Sant'Angelo and the old university quarter, lectures on the history of the humanists and other personalities (who were acquainted with the humanists and were connected in friendship, e.g. Martin Luther, Adam Ries and others).

In addition, the association and the state capital Erfurt have been organizing the Eobanus Hessus writing competition for years, which offers young writers from Thuringia the opportunity to present short stories and poems they have written themselves.