The Festival – The European Youth Week at Burg Ludwigstein
Programm ansehen
The European Youth Week (Eurowoche for short) has been bringing young people from all over Europe together for decades. A week full of encounters, music, dance and shared experiences – carried by the spirit of friendship and understanding.
History & Idea of the European Youth Week
The tradition of the European Youth Week began in 1953 at Burg Ludwigstein. In the period after World War II, the idea emerged here to give young people from different European countries a place of encounter. The goal from the very beginning was to promote understanding, respect and peaceful, friendly coexistence.
Burg Ludwigstein was deliberately chosen for this meeting. It is located directly on the former inner-German border and is, then as now, a symbolic place of togetherness as a youth castle. From the start, singing, making music and dancing have been at the heart of the festival and are the connecting elements across linguistic and national borders.
What happens during the week?
For a week, participants share their daily lives: they live together, learn from each other, laugh, discuss, make music and dance.
Each group designs their own country day during the festival, when the castle belongs to them. They decorate the castle in their colors, teach songs and dances from their countries, and present their homeland in various ways. In the evenings, the highlights take place: each group presents a performance introducing the traditions of their countries.
Participants also take part in daily workshops where they learn new dances and musical pieces together or engage in creative activities. They showcase the results of these workshops at the grand closing event – the Eurokirmes.
The European Youth Week is not a consumption festival, but a space for participation, experimentation and encounter.
Spirit / Values
The Eurowoche stands for friendship, openness and lived understanding. It thrives on curiosity about other cultures, on listening and on shared experiences. Europe reveals itself here not as an idea on paper, but as a togetherness that keeps growing.
Burg Ludwigstein: A historic place for new stories
The venue of our encounters is as symbolic as the week itself. Burg Ludwigstein is located directly on the former inner-German border and has always been a center of the youth movement. Where separation once reigned, we now create a space for encounter.
Burg Ludwigstein: Ein historischer Ort für neue Geschichten
Der Schauplatz unserer Begegnungen ist so symbolträchtig wie die Woche selbst. Die Burg Ludwigstein liegt unmittelbar an der ehemaligen innerdeutschen Grenze und war schon immer ein Zentrum der Jugendbewegung. Wo früher Trennung herrschte, schaffen wir heute einen Raum für Begegnung.
Die Europäische Jugendwoche strahlt dabei weit über die Burgmauern hinaus. Durch Auftritte in der Region und traditionelle Eröffnungen auf den Marktplätzen der Umgebung laden wir die Öffentlichkeit ein, Teil dieses europäischen Spirits zu werden.
Upcoming Dates
Group Participation
If you'd like your group to be part of the European Youth Week, we'd love to hear from you. Please take a look at our participation conditions and then get in touch.