Special subject: Drystone construction: a tool and an issue for the future
‘… Pass the stone to your neighbour!’
The 19th International Dry Stone Congress was held in Krems, Wachau, Austria on 25, 26 and 27 October 2025. We were warmly and efficiently welcomed by the Stein & Wein Garten and the Trockensteinmauern Schule in Krems and by the Gartenbauschule in Langenlois. From 20 to 24 October, the congress was preceded by a participatory workshop where stonemasons from 25 different countries restored several dry-stone structures and built an original one: a sailing ship named Argo, reminding us of the Argonauts and of humanity’s multiple technical adventures. The Stone and Wine Festival of Wachau, region composed of vineyards along the Danube and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, took place at the same time.
We all enjoyed these achievements, the symposium with its 32 presentations given by colleagues from 15 different countries and attentively followed by the audience, the breaks and discussions around stands and exhibitions, the General Assembly where we renewed our Board and welcomed a new member …
Finally, the two highly emotional moments: at the beginning, the presentation of diplomas to those registered in the Intangible Cultural Heritage by Sabine Haag, President of the Austrian UNESCO Commission, and at the end, during the diner at Kittenberger Gardens, the gift of a stone from Krems to the organisers of the next congress.
Next congress will be held in Cyprus in 2027. We will have the opportunity to talk about again but keep you ready: this event marks 40 years of existence for the informal study group and 30 years for the formal SDS association.
Our warmest thanks to Rainer Vogler and all his colleagues, the local authorities of Lower Austria, UNESCO, the photographers who covered the event (Christian Gober, Helmut Schieder, Didier Respaud-Bouny, Philippe Hameau), the speakers, exhibitors, guides, trainers, apprentices, conference participants and our members who give meaning to our actions by supporting them.
