The European Stone Festival will be held this year in Salzburg, the fourth largest city of Austria, 3-5 June.

The Festival ususally attracts a good contingent of masons from the UK and they all report having a great time at the event, enjoying sharing anecdotes and beers with like-minded colleagues from around the world when they are not actually at their bankers competing for the honours.

The European Stone Festival was started by Germany's Freiburg Technical College for Stonemasonry & Stone Carving. It is now run each year by the College in co-operation with a different city around Europe. This year's partners are the Association of Stonemasons & Stone Carvers Salzburg at the Steinzentrum Hallein.

The theme is: From the Romanesque to the Modern.

Participants will be provided with a block of sandstone and will be expected to produce a piece of work that illustrates the theme. The work will be auctioned afterwards.

The blocks of stone provided measure 30 x 30 x 20cm. Stonemasons and stone carvers may interpret the task as freely as they wish as long as it can be produced in the stone provided.

The event will take place in the Kapitelplatz near the cathedral of Salzburg. Participants will have a maximum of 16 hours (Saturday/Sunday) to complete the task and should bring their own tools, sleeping bags and ground sheets.

The entry fee (including meals and accommodation) is €55 (€40 for apprentices).

The final date for entries is 19 March.

Applications should be made as soon as possible online: www.stein-festival.de/en

The address of the Stone Centre in Salzburg is: Steinzentrum Hallein, Salzachtalstraße 24, 400 Hallein, Austria.

Phone: 0043 624 581274

Email: office@steinzentrum.org

The organiser in Salzburg is Adolf Moser. His direct ‘phone number is: 0043 6644 321900

Email: juliusmoser@gmx.at