Im traditionsreichen Steinabbaugebiet des Vinschgaus trifft Handwerk auf Gestaltungskraft: Das diesjährige Vernetzungstreffen des European Academy of Craft and Design (EACD) widmet sich der Verbindung von Naturstein, Raum und Design. Der Vinschgau mit seiner langen Geschichte im Steinabbau bietet dafür das ideale Umfeld – ein Ort, an dem geologische Vielfalt, kulturelle Tradition und zeitgemäßes Design aufeinandertreffen.
Dank des europäischen „Master of Craft“ sind Steinmetze in ganz Europa bestens vernetzt und können sich über Fachwissen, Techniken und Erfahrungen austauschen.
Zur Info: Bernhard Gann und Christian Vercayie, aus der Steintechnikabteilung der HTL Hallein haben den „Master of Craft“ als berufsbegleitende Ausbildung erworben.
Ihr Fachwissen findet in der neuen Ausbildung NATURSTEIN, RAUM und DESIGN ideale Anwendung. Diese innovative Ausbildung wird ab dem kommenden Schuljahr angeboten und ab jetzt beworben.
LINK: FS NATURSTEIN, RAUM und DESIGN – HTL Hallein
PDF FOLDER: NATURSTEIN, RAUM und DESIGN
European Stonemasons Gathered in Laas – General Assembly of the EACD 2025
From September 19 to 21, 2025, the General Assembly of the European Association of Building Crafts and Design (EACD) took place in Laas (South Tyrol).
Numerous members, delegates, candidates of the EMC Tour and guests from the European stonemasonry and sculpture professions accepted the invitation and used the opportunity for professional exchange at the center of the region’s centuries-old marble quarrying tradition.
The event began with a board meeting at the Laas Berufsfachschule, followed by a communal dinner in their art studio. On Saturday morning, participants visited the Göflan marble quarry at 2100 meter in the Stilfserjoch National Park before the actual General Assembly took place. A guided tour tailored for professionals was conducted by company owner Michael Pohl of Göflaner Marmor GmbH. Afterwards, the group was welcomed with a fine aperitif and lunch in the studio of Bernhard Grasl, a vocational school instructor in Laas.
President Ing. Norbert Kienesberger EMC opened the meeting and gave special thanks to host Dr. Virginia Maria Tanzer from the Berufsbildungszentrum in Schlanders for the excellent organization. A central topic was the ongoing EMC Tour 2024–2028, in which stonemasons across Europe gain experience at training stations. The Austrian leg in 2025 included visits to Hallein, Linz, and Vienna, focusing on new technologies, monument preservation, and artistic exchange. For 2026, stations are planned in Cologne/Xanten as well as in Basel and Laas.
Particular attention was given to the guidelines developed by Dipl.-Rest. Bianca Burkhardt from Basel for the three-part diploma thesis, which aim to standardize training and examination standards in the future. Emphasis remains on the individual process of completing the diploma thesis. Candidates welcomed the new guidelines as a major help. Discussions also addressed the use of AI-based translation and examination tools, with the EACD aiming for a responsible, contemporary approach. Plagiarism checks and proofreading are to be carried out independently by the candidates.
The elections confirmed the board under President Ing. Norbert Kienesberger EMC and BIM-STV of the Austrian stonemasonry guild, Vice President Hüttenmeister Ramon Keller EMC of the Münsterbauhütte Basel in Switzerland, Second Vice President DI Dr. Wolfgang Kippes, who also serves as chair of the EACD examination committee, as well as Secretary General Anna Singer of the Steinzentrum in Hallein, Austria, and Treasurer Andreas Schröder EMC from Attendorn, Germany. Board members are: Dir. Virginia Tanzer from the Berufsbildungszentrum Schlanders in South Tyrol, Dir. Tamara Plastic from Klesarska Skola Brac in Croatia, Corry Kussendrager EMC from Amersfoort, Netherlands, Dir. Mag. Johann Gutschi, Bernhard Gann EMC, and Georg Obererlacher EMC from HTL Hallein, Austria, Stephan Bickel from Friedrich Weinbrenner Gewerbeschule in Freiburg, Germany, Bavarian LIM Hermann Rudolf from Obergünzburg and Bernhard Wolf EMC from Berchtesgaden, both from Germany, as well as LI Hungary representative Attila Balogh from Budapest.
The meeting concluded with a communal dinner at Vinschgerhof in Schlanders/Vetzan and an excursion on Sunday to Dursterhof in Partschins. With clear resolutions for upcoming training stations, the establishment of new quality standards, and the visible unity of the “EACD family,” the assembly in Laas sent a strong signal for the future of European stonemasonry.