History

Zimmerhof Jewellery Symposium – formerly known as
Haldenhof Meeting

The first meeting at Haus Haldenhof was held in 1967. Back then, about 20 representatives of the jewellery scene gathered in this converted farmhouse in Wissgoldingen near Schwäbisch Gmünd to talk about and discuss jewellery and related themes.

What started as a modest get-together developed over the course of the past few decades into an international forum that attracts about 100 people from all over the world every year to exchange their thoughts and ideas in lectures and discussions, to present jewellery, establish contacts and generally get to know each other.
The participants include representatives of all fields related to jewellery, such as goldsmiths, trainees, university students, designers, jewellery manufacturers, gallerists, and many more. Due to the attendants’ international origins, most of the lectures are held in English nowadays.

The symposium could be held at its original place until Haus Haldenhof’s owner passed away in 1995. Hence, a new venue had to be found for the 1996 meeting. Thanks to the assistance of Yvonne von Racknitz, a trained jewellery designer herself, the von Racknitz family’s estate in Bad Rappenau-Zimmerhof, which was no longer being farmed, could be obtained as a new meeting place. Very improvised at first, it has developed in the past few years into a venue which, although not entirely perfect yet, has proved to be an ideal setting for the three-day symposium thanks to its special atmosphere.

Thriving on more than 40 years of tradition, the Jewellery Symposium is independent of any established institution, association or other type of organization.
At the end of each symposium, the participants elect the programme organizers for the following year, who then, with a lot of commitment and dedication, put together yet another interesting programme.
Beverages and meals are provided by a kitchen team that is also composed anew each year.
The Jewellery Symposium does not receive any financial support. This means that it has to finance itself through the participation fees. To cover each symposium’s costs for catering, rent, insurances, speakers’ fees and expenses, etc., a minimum number of 80 participants is needed.