Calendar of Events

Charcoal and Brick Burning

Date
-
Kind of Event
Demonstration
Country
Germany

The new half-timbered house on the royal court of Charles IV is to have a chimney made of bricks. Around 400 bricks made from a mixture of clay and sand are waiting to be burned in the converted lime kiln. Do we get enough oxygen for the wood fire with 8 ventilation ducts in the stove? Will we reach the temperature of over 900 ° C at which the bricks become frost-resistant? How much scrap will we produce (we have often read of up to 70% unusable stones)?

It will be exciting! Look over the shoulder of our team of craftsmen as they fire and let them tell you a lot of interesting facts about clay mixtures, monastery format and our impressive construction site.

But that's not all, the experiments continue: Wood is the most important source of energy in the Middle Ages. It is just as important as lumber and for cooking as it is for many pre-industrial trades. On the construction site there is another race kiln ride this summer, for which the wood has to be converted into charcoal in a small pile. Experience this exciting process with a lot of work, soot and dust and find out why the charcoal burners of the Middle Ages had such an extraordinary life.