Project Name:

Information- and competence center Hemp with adventure trails (IKHE)

Project details:

Project Partners:

1. City of Mücheln

2. University of Merseburg

3. German Hemp-Academie e.V.

Project Type:

Establishment of an information and competence center with experimental construction, building workshops, and adventure trails

Size of property: –

Project Duration: 2025 – 2027

Contact:

Stadt Mücheln (Geiseltal)

Markt 1

06249

Mücheln (Geiseltal)

Deutsche Hanf-Akademie e.V.

Brüssower Straße 88a

17291

Prenzlau

Hochschule Merseburg

Eberhard-Leibnitz-Str. 2

06217

Merseburg

e-mail:
info@hanffaser.de

Project Description

Hemp is one of the oldest cultivated plants and has been used in many different ways over the centuries: from textiles and paper to building materials and other materials. With the advent of fossil raw materials, it was displaced, and research and development came to a virtual standstill. Today, the renewed use of hemp is opening up new opportunities for sustainable construction, regional value creation, and the economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. As an important crop for the transition to a bioeconomy, it can be cultivated efficiently, especially in rural areas of Saxony-Anhalt, even in times of climate change. The planned Hemp Information and Competence Center in Mücheln aims to highlight this potential and make it usable and accessible to different target groups. In this respect, inclusion and participation are not only designed as methods in the project, but also become key factors for the success of the goals set.

Project Goals

The “Hemp Information and Competence Center” has a transdisciplinary approach. Its tasks include (1) raising awareness of the overall potential of hemp in the region and promoting its diverse uses. This supports (2) the emergence of virtually closed value chains around hemp, through which the bio-raw material hemp is put to full use and a new economic sector can develop in the region, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. (3) At the heart of the project is an experimental construction workshop where new organic building materials made from hemp are developed, tested, and finally presented directly in experimental construction projects. This is intended to support the introduction of hemp as an organic building material in the construction and building industry. This more professional part of the construction workshop is complemented by a self-help construction workshop, in which (4) interested professionals and laypeople can learn about working with hemp building materials in theory and practice seminars and receive practical guidance and advice on the use of hemp building materials in their personal projects. This is a particularly important offering in the more rural region around the town of Mücheln (Geiseltal), because polytechnic skills and abilities are cultivated here so that construction projects can also be developed and implemented independently. Digital innovations such as a database for the use of biological resources such as hemp in the field of sustainable bioeconomy also play a role. The center for providing information on hemp as a bio-based raw material and for developing and pooling expertise on the versatile uses of hemp aims to (6) use various experiential trails to provide a sensory understanding of where and how hemp can be used and what its advantages are (including construction, textiles, food for humans and animals, cosmetics, animal husbandry) and how modern research and development is contributing to new applications. In this way, the aim is not only to raise awareness of hemp as an ecologically and economically valuable resource, but also to increase awareness of sustainable material cycles in the region.

Project impressions

Criteria according to the NEB_Compass

Beautiful

Ambition II – connect

The project combines the development and potential of innovative organic building materials with the development of a new aesthetic that deliberately breaks away from standardized, industrially prefabricated forms without excluding them entirely. Hemp enables designs that are based on natural structures and allow for individual forms of expression. This opens up aesthetic standards that are not only functional but also create a sense of identity. The experimental construction workshop offers space to explore design possibilities in practice and to showcase the qualities of hemp in construction. In this way, it promotes a construction method that combines functional requirements and economically efficient production with cultural and artistic quality.

Sustainable

Ambition III – regenerate

The project focuses on the question of how hemp can be converted into a climate-adapted bio-building material without compromising its ecological potential. A model study is being conducted to examine how the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp can not only be designed to conserve resources, but also become regenerative. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases, the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp also contributes to promoting soil health, improving biodiversity, and, due to its high resilience, restoring ecosystems. The use of hemp enables the establishment of closed value chains in the sense of a circular economy. The same raw material can be used to produce building materials, textiles, food, and cosmetic products that are biodegradable, thus closing the material cycle. This opens up new perspectives, especially in rural areas of Saxony-Anhalt, as agriculture, crafts, and the regional economy are closely linked and can be geared towards sustainability. At the same time, the aspect of climate adaptation is specifically addressed. Hemp is robust, undemanding to cultivate, and thrives even under difficult conditions. Its use therefore strengthens the resilience of regions to the effects of climate change. Sustainability is understood in the project not only as a reduction in emissions, but as a comprehensive transformation that takes equal account of ecological, economic, and cultural dimensions.

Together

Ambition III – transform

The focus is on actively involving the population in the development and use of the IKHE. From project design to implementation, a comprehensive process of inclusion is pursued according to the bottom-up principle. The self-help construction workshop provides low-threshold access, allowing citizens to test and implement their own projects with hemp building materials. Schools, clubs, and universities are equally involved, creating intergenerational learning and working opportunities. This participatory approach is intended to strengthen identification with the project and create a shared responsibility for a sustainable building and living culture. The center thus functions not only as a center of education and expertise, but also as a social space in which solidarity, participation, and collaborative design are tested and developed in practice. In this role, the project has a transformative effect that serves as a model beyond the location itself.

Participatory process

Ambition III – to self-govern

The German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie e.V.) is an association of experienced stakeholders dedicated to research, development, and the dissemination of technical knowledge. It is part of the network and independently manages the project objectives. Its tasks include networking and cooperation, supporting technical research and development projects, publishing scientific topics, and providing opportunities to publish critical historical and economic policy topics related to renewable raw materials. Furthermore, the project views participation not as a supplementary element, but as a central principle. From the outset, the population is involved in the development and implementation of the project. Through surveys, open workshops, and hands-on activities, residents, associations, educational institutions, and regional initiatives are given the opportunity to contribute their ideas and needs. These formats go beyond mere consultation: they create spaces for co-creation, in which proposals are jointly fleshed out and translated into project steps. Merseburg University of Applied Sciences and the town of Mücheln are taking on the role of institutional sponsors who set the framework, while citizens actively contribute their own content, traditions, and experiences. In the self-help construction workshop, for example, the population is empowered to try out hemp as a building material for themselves and implement it in individual projects. This creates a close interlinking of specialist and everyday knowledge, which contributes significantly to the quality and acceptance of the project.

Multiple levels of engagement

Ambition II – work across levels

The local roots in Mücheln, the scientific expertise of Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, and the experience and networks of the German Hemp Academy (Deutscher Hanf-Akademie e.V.) facilitate knowledge transfer between practice, research, and civil society. In addition, synergies between agriculture, crafts, and the construction industry are specifically promoted, enabling the development of regional value chains. Even though the strongest effects are felt locally, supraregional networking offers the opportunity to transfer experiences from Mücheln to other regions and make them effective in their prototypical nature.

Transdisciplinary approach

Ambition III – beyond disciplinary

At IKHE, agriculture, materials research, construction, crafts, education, culture, and civil society are not considered separately, but are brought together in a joint development process. Formal knowledge from science and technology is combined on an equal footing with non-formal knowledge from crafts, everyday practices, and regional traditions. This creates a collaborative process in which academic expertise and practical experience intertwine and jointly produce new solutions. A central goal is not only to explore the potential of hemp theoretically, but also to make it directly tangible through public formats. In this way, knowledge is not imparted from above, but developed, expanded, and passed on through dialogue. Through this bottom-up approach, hemp as a resource is not only researched, but also embedded in new narratives together with the population. The IKHE thus becomes a model location where it becomes clear how formal and informal knowledge can work together equally to address socially relevant issues and translate them into concrete practice.