We offer several conferences throughout the event. They are given by instructors and academic researchers of international renown.
HEMA pioneers in the 19th century
The aim of this conference is to present the more or less successful attempts to reconstitute fencing and historical combat carried out in France, England, Belgium and elsewhere in the end of the 19th century. It is indeed noteworthy and rich in prospects to note the attempts led by others, more than one century before the academic and leisure discipline that are HEMA was defined as we know it today.
Trying, discovering, failing but also instrumentalizing, enthusiasts of this period wrote books, tried reenactments, created shows. This conference seeks to show today’s practitioners the importance and legacy of these early attempts on our contemporary researches, but also to learn from the mistakes of those HEMA pioneers in Europe.
Strength Training in HEMA
During this lecture, you will learn how a schedule for strength training should look like and which tools you need to use to get the best progress out of it. We will also discuss how you can include strength training in your HEMA routine and the benefits you can get from it.
Evolution of the Sword in Europe from Prehistory to the Present Day
By Michael Müller-Hewer
Since the Bronze Age, the sword has been an effective, enigmatic, and mystical weapon. Throughout history, warriors and fighters have continually adapted this weapon to suit their needs, modifying its shape and experimenting with new materials. Visually, the modern sword — the sports fencing sword — is far removed from the shape of the earliest Celtic steel swords. Yet its roots can be traced back to the dawn of time.
This lecture will present the fundamental differences between various types of swords and, with the help of a timeline and illustrative objects, explore the sword’s evolution over the centuries and offer hypotheses about the reasons behind these changes.
Michael Müller-Hewer is a German fencing master living in Switzerland. He practises stage fight and historical fencing since 1984. During 20 years he worked as actor combatant and fight choreographer for the cinema and the theatre in France. Since 1990 the teaches historical fencing and stage fighting. In 1996 he obtained the diploma of fencing master in 5 weapons of the German Academy of Weapons (Akademie der Fechtkunst Deutschlands). He is also Swiss Monitor J+S in fencing and Swiss HEMA instructor.
Author of Bilikat – Le beau combat, the practice of Celtic fight in Switzerland developed around his teaching at the Lausanne University UNIL (group Cladio). Vice-president of the Swiss Federation of Historical European Martial Arts (Swiss HEMA) from 2022 to 2024, he teaches at the « Cercle des Armes de Lausanne» (CAL).
Do you want to give a conference at the 2025 edition ? Please get in touch !