International Castle Research Society

The International Castle Research Society (ICRS) is a German not-for-profit association devoted to the study and public interpretation of castles, fortified buildings, historic urban environments, ships, and related aspects of medieval architecture and material culture. It was established in Aachen in 1986 after earlier initiatives associated with Bernhard Siepen, an architect who later became the society's president. The organization was supported in its early period by Hans Stercken, a long-serving Aachen parliamentarian, and Cornel Renfert, a consul associated with the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce in Paris. ICRS combines historical research with an unusually visual and practical form of communication. Its principal public work is the construction of large, historically informed scale models, generally made at 1:25 of natural size. The models are developed from architectural, archaeological, and historical sources and are populated with hand-painted figures and other details intended to convey how buildings and their surrounding communities may have functioned. This approach allows visitors to examine structures, defensive systems, domestic spaces, transport, crafts, and urban settings in a single interpretive environment. The society's first major model project was the donjon of Coucy, begun in 1997. Early model work concentrated on French fortified keeps and donjons. The program subsequently expanded to Crusader castles and bazaars, medieval ships, and palace complexes characteristic of the ninth through twelfth centuries. Castel del Monte is identified as the latest model in the cited reference material. Future or proposed subjects have included the imperial palace at Aachen associated with Charlemagne, dating from around AD 800, and historic buildings in Jerusalem. Beyond model-making, ICRS presents descriptions, plans, and research relating to important castles and historic buildings. It organizes seminars, lectures, multimedia presentations, exhibition visits, and visits to surviving monuments. The society also supports study courses for schools and universities and provides training for young people in craft skills connected with model construction. Its activities therefore span research, museum-style interpretation, educational outreach, heritage appreciation, and hands-on technical instruction. The association has circulated its work through exhibitions in Europe and North America. The supplied reference material states that more than one million people had visited ICRS exhibitions, although no date or independently verifiable measurement is provided for that figure. Its publishing activity includes exhibition books, technical and architectural studies, research volumes, painting books, and works on Crusader architecture, Castel del Monte, Damascus and Aleppo, and scientific and technological history in the Islamic world. These publications show that the society's interests extend beyond isolated castles to wider questions of political power, urban development, cultural exchange, technology, and historical reconstruction. ICRS is best understood as a heritage and research association rather than a conventional consumer brand. It does not primarily sell standardized products; its recognizable offerings are commissioned or exhibition-scale models, scholarly and interpretive publications, educational events, and traveling or host-venue exhibitions. Its international orientation is reflected in the subjects it studies, the languages used for exhibition information, and the reported reach of its exhibitions, while its institutional base remains in Aachen, Germany.

The International Castle Research Society was founded in Aachen in 1986 as a not-for-profit organization. Its origins lay in earlier initiatives led by the architect Bernhard Siepen. The society's early development was supported by Hans Stercken, a prominent Aachen parliamentarian, and Cornel Renfert, a consul connected with the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Siepen later assumed the presidency and is identified as having held that office since 2000. ICRS developed a distinctive method for communicating architectural and historical research: the construction of detailed models based on historical evidence. The first model described in the available material was the donjon of Coucy, begun in 1997. The early program focused on French fortified keeps and donjons, but the subject range broadened over time. Later work addressed Crusader castles and bazaars, medieval ships, and palace forms associated with the ninth through twelfth centuries. The organization also produced a model of Castel del Monte, described in the reference material as its latest model. Plans or proposals included a reconstruction of the imperial Aachen palace of Charlemagne and historic buildings in Jerusalem. The models are made at a scale of 1:25 and are intended to be more than static architectural objects. ICRS uses hand-painted figurines and contextual scenes to suggest the people, activities, and material settings associated with the buildings. This makes the models suitable for museum and exhibition interpretation while retaining a research-oriented emphasis on plans, sources, architectural form, and historical explanation. The society's activities expanded beyond the production of models. Its president, team, and consultants prepare presentations on castles and historic buildings, organize seminars and talks, produce multimedia shows, and arrange visits to exhibitions and surviving monuments. ICRS also supports research and study courses for school and university audiences. The training of young people in handicrafts related to model-making gives the association a practical educational dimension, linking heritage study with skills development. Exhibitions became a major means of public outreach. The available account reports attendance exceeding one million visitors across Europe and North America, though it does not specify the relevant period or provide a separate source for the total. Exhibition subjects have included French donjons, Crusader-period castles and bazaars, and broader historical environments. The society's materials have been made available in English, French, and German, reflecting its cross-border and international presentation strategy. Publication is another part of ICRS's historical and educational work. The listed publications include studies of French donjons, residential towers, Gothic seigneurial residences in the Île-de-France, medieval French castles and enclosures, the residential development of Coucy, Crusader castles and bazaars, traces of the Crusaders, and the urban development of Damascus and Aleppo. Other listed works address Castel del Monte and science and technology in the Islamic world. Together, these titles indicate an approach that places castles within broader political, social, urban, artistic, and technological histories. The society remains characterized by the combination of specialist research, physical reconstruction, public exhibitions, publications, and teaching. The available sources do not provide detailed information about its legal registration, membership size, annual budget, commercial arrangements, or a complete chronology of exhibitions. Its principal public identity is that of a voluntary German heritage association with an international exhibition and research remit.

• 2000

  Bernhard Siepen identified as president

  [1]International Castle Research Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Bernhard Siepen is identified as having served as president of the society since 2000.

• 1997

  Donjon of Coucy model begun

  [1]International Castle Research Societyen.wikipedia.org

  ICRS began its first identified major model project, reconstructing the French donjon of Coucy at 1:25 scale.

• 1986

  Society established in Aachen

  [1]International Castle Research Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The International Castle Research Society was established in Aachen as a not-for-profit organization following earlier initiatives associated with architect Bernhard Siepen.

• Expansion into Crusader and palace subjects

  [1]International Castle Research Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The model program expanded from French donjons to Crusader castles and bazaars, medieval ships, and palaces typical of the ninth through twelfth centuries.

Non-profit cultural-heritage and research association combining architectural history, model-making, exhibitions, and public education.

• Architectural scale model · 1997

  Donjon of Coucy

  ICRS's first identified model project, begun in 1997, reconstructs the monumental donjon of Coucy. It represents the society's early concentration on French fortified keeps and demonstrates its method of combining historically researched architecture with contextual presentation and figures.

• Architectural scale model

  Castel del Monte

  A large-scale historical model of Castel del Monte, developed from research into the building and its architectural context. The available reference identifies it as the latest model in the society's sequence, which moved from French donjons toward a wider range of medieval and palace architecture.

• Exhibition model series

  Crusader castles and bazaars

  This group of models extends ICRS's work into the architecture and urban environments of the Crusader period. The presentation combines fortified structures with bazaars and surrounding life scenes, allowing visitors to consider military, commercial, and social functions together.

• Historical model series

  Medieval ships

  ICRS has also created models of medieval ships as part of its broader reconstruction program. These works extend the society's subject matter beyond buildings and connect castle and Crusader studies with transport, trade, travel, and maritime settings.

1. 1International Castle Research Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2International Castle Research Society official websiteburgenkunde.de