Young Blacksmiths' Meetup at LWL-Open Air Museum Hagen

The premiere of the Young Blacksmiths' Meetup was held in 2024 at the LWL-Open Air Museum Hagen — jointly organized by the International Association of Artistic Blacksmiths (IFGS), the Bundesverband Metall, and the museum. Around 40 apprentices, journeymen, and journeywomen from Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, and Finland worked for six days in the museum's historical workshops.

The joint workpiece was a model of a historical trip hammer on a 1:5 scale: approximately 500 working hours, about 300 kilograms in weight, with a functional hand crank. The model subsequently remained permanently in the museum and is now part of the visitor tour.

The sponsor of the premiere included the Kurtz Ersa Hammer Museum. The inaugural edition was so successful that the event will continue in 2026 — with a new workpiece and a new generation of participants.