“Build the Castle”: The innovative gaming and history challenge starting February 12. On YouTube…

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Eight-part challenge format combining gaming and regional history / From February 12, 2024 on the SWR Wissen YouTube channel and from February 19, 2024 on ARD Twitch

Klem, one of the best Minecraft makers in Germany, meets different opponents in “Bau die Burg”. Your task is to recreate an almost medieval castle from the southwest. Challenge: You only have twelve hours. The jury then decides which replica best meets the stringent requirements. The first season of “Build the Castle” consists of eight 20-minute episodes and can be viewed on the SWR Wissen YouTube channel starting February 12, 2024. Each episode will be accompanied by a two-hour Twitch session, debuting on February 19, 2024 on the ARD Twitch.

Medieval hunchback cube meets pixel block

Challenger Clem is a builder both celebrated and feared by the Minecraft community for its virtual buildings. In each episode he meets new opponents and they both face the challenge: who can recreate a medieval castle in as much detail as possible in the virtual world in twelve hours? It is supported by Andrej Pfeiffer-Perkuhn, the content creator of “Geschichtsfenster”, who lets you experience the Middle Ages up close on the YouTube channel of the same name. In each episode, he leads the two antagonists through the week's castle, gives general insights into the history of construction, and points out the castle's special features and challenges. He is supported by Sophia Katz, who runs the episodes as an evangelist. In the end, the jury evaluates the quality of the resulting structures – and whoever loses must destroy the castle with the push of a virtual button.

“Building a castle” – slightly different historical documents

“Build the Castle” is intended for people between the ages of 20 and 40 who are interested in history and have a penchant for computer games such as Age of Empires, the Anno series or Minecraft. Unlike traditional historical documentaries, “Build the Castle” does not portray the Middle Ages as a bygone era, but rather builds a bridge to the present through the game Minecraft. Challenging character provides additional excitement: master builder Clym and his colleagues compete against each other to bring historical facts to a contemporary medium.

Exchange with the community

In addition to 20-minute episodes on YouTube, “Build the Castle” consists of two-hour Twitch sessions. They are shown weekly, alternating with the YouTube episode. The Twitch container is an afterparty and debrief: Herald Sofia and medieval expert “History Window” meet for a virtual chat with the community. Together they go through the winner's virtual castle from last week again. The community also participates directly in the episode via interactive elements.

Castles

In the “Castle Building” the following are recreated: Borisheim Castle in the Eifel, Marksburg on the Middle Rhine, Reichsburg Cochem, Hornberg Castle above the Neckar Valley, Hohenteuil Castle ruins near Singen, Meersburg on Lake Constance, and Hohenzollern. The castle is in the Zollernalb area.

Free information, images and other links at http://swr.li/bau-die-burg-2024

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Press contact: Claudia Lemcke, tel.: 06131 929 33293, [email protected]

Original content from: SWR – Södwestrundfunk, transmitted by news aktuell