East Thuringia in carpentry fever: Two talents are fighting for the federal crown

East Thuringia in carpentry fever: Two talents are fighting for the federal crown

The national carpentry competition will take place today, November 10, 2025, in picturesque Waren an der Müritz. Participants from all over Germany present their craftsmanship, including two talented journeymen from East Thuringia: Vincent Konrad from Pößneck and Julius Scheibel from Altendorf. These two young men have not only excelled in their local state championships, but are now competing in the highest league of carpentry.

Vincent Konrad, who qualified as winner of the Thuringian state championships, is going into the competition full of enthusiasm. His outstanding level of performance underlines the high quality of carpentry training in Thuringia. Julius Scheibel, the runner-up, also has remarkable skills. He is 20 years old and was trained as the best in his year at the carpentry workshop at the Friedrich Schiller University (FSU) Jena. Julius is already the third journeyman from this training center to make it to the national competition, which further increases the reputation of the university carpentry.

A competition full of challenges

The competition lasts two days and presents the participants with the challenge of producing sophisticated pieces of furniture made of hardwood under high time pressure and with special precision requirements. Instructor Dominik Obst, who has experience in the national competition himself, is available to advise his protégés. Jacob Linde, the head of the university carpentry shop, is proud of Julius Scheibel's achievements and highlights the large number of applications: "Last year we had around 40 applications for just two training positions. This speaks for the high demand and the good reputation of our carpentry shop," says Linde.

In order to be well prepared, Julius Scheibel not only sharpened his technical skills, but also studied previous competitions. After the exciting phase of the competition, the young journeyman plans to start his master training with a federal scholarship and eventually take over his father's workshop. An exciting time lies ahead for him, and the award ceremony for the national competition will take place next Wednesday.

The passion for craftsmanship

The achievements of these young carpenters demonstrate the passion and commitment that exists in the industry. Crafts not only have a high status in our society, but are also increasingly valued as a source for creative development. So it remains to be hoped that both Vincent and Julius will achieve good places in the competition. Their successes are also a sign of the future of carpentry in our region.

With this in mind, we look forward to the results and keep our fingers crossed for the two young talents from Thuringia - the craft has some strong personalities who are continuing and reshaping our tradition.