| For one wonderful week every year in the summertime one song sounds from every corner of the romantic Burg Ludwigstein: "Viva Europa, viva Burg Ludwigstein e viva musica…". Young people (mostly in folk dance groups, choirs or music groups) from different European countries meet at Burg Ludwigstein and present their songs and dances during this special week. The European Youth Week aims to foster international understanding among the young people of Europe with their different cultural and historical backgrounds. Music and dancing are the common languages for understanding in our festival. During the European Youth Week we offer workshops in different topics. Joint participation in the workshops, e.g. dancing, choir, orchestra, art, juggling etc. promotes international collaboration and mutual understanding. Besides the cultural and artistic focus, the European discussion workshop takes a closer look at the current social, economic and political problems - especially of the young people - in Europe. The participants in this workshop try to find possibilities to foster the European ideal through the young people. During the week every group arranges one country-day.The country day starts with a way to wake the others up - quietly, with music or maybe with a lot of noise - and with decorating the castle in their own fashion. In the morning during the communal singing and in the afternoon during the dancing together, the group of the day teaches some of their songs and dances to the other participants of the European Youth Week. Finally in the evening the group presents their songs and dances on stage in a public presentation. Another highlight of the European Youth Week are the "Ludwigstein Olympic Games", with an original olympic oath, torch bearer, ceremonial distribution of trophies and much more. The "branches of athletics" are for instance walking on stilts, catching water, spitting cherry-stones and others. In these special olympic games fun is the main goal - even if there are sometimes hard but fair fights to win. After one eventful week and days full of music and dancing, the farewell comes closer on Saturday. The results of the workshops are presented in the morning. People who never met before are now singing together in an international choir, dance and make music together, show how well they learned each other´s languages, present their paintings or juggle with plates and clubs. In the afternoon there is a final presentation of all groups on stage. Already a little bit sad that this wonderful week passed by so quickly, all participants sing once again the anthem of the European Youth Week "Viva Europa". In this final evening we have a big European farewell party, and new friends are singing, dancing and talking together for a last time until late at night. Unfortunately it´s time to say goodbye in the morning. But the impressions of happiness and peace and the certainty of new friendships return with the participants of the European Youth Week to their home countries. If you can hear a happy "Viva Europa" in the other countries every now and then and if the young people remember the wonderful time together at Burg Ludwigstein, we all have made another step towards a peaceful Europe. |      |
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A typical Eurowoche |
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