Fifth Dry Stone Walling Course – 30 August 2025
One course brought together people from architecture, public infrastructure and game development. Their backgrounds were very different, but all came to understand natural stone through direct hands-on work rather than drawings, specifications or screens.
On Saturday, 30 August 2025, we held our fifth dry stone walling course in Novosedly, South Moravia, Czech Republic. This time the group brought together people from very different professional backgrounds – including architecture, public infrastructure and game development. What they had in common was a desire to understand how natural stone works in practice, not only on paper.
Dry stone construction makes that difference immediately visible. Participants have to select the stone themselves, assess its shape, decide how it should be positioned and see directly what happens when a piece fits well – or when it does not.
Understanding Stone beyond Specifications and Logistics
One participant worked in an administrative role at the Czech Road and Motorway Directorate and was involved with sourcing stone for public-sector projects. She wanted to experience the material from a completely different perspective – not through procurement and logistics, but by working with it directly on site.
The course offered an opportunity to see how stone is sorted, selected and placed, and how much practical decision-making is involved in building a dry stone wall.
Specifications can describe dimensions, quantities and material requirements, but they cannot fully show why one irregular stone fits a particular position while another does not. That becomes much clearer once the material is handled by hand.
From Game Development to Working with Stone
Another participant had worked as a developer on Mafia II and arrived with his own stonework project in mind. For him, the course was also an opportunity to step away from a screen and spend a day creating something physical with his hands.
Digital and physical work may seem very different, but both involve making a series of decisions that gradually produce a finished result. With stone, however, those decisions become tangible immediately – the structure is right in front of you.
Architects Learning through Hands-On Construction
Two architects from an architectural studio also joined the course. Their goal was to see how design principles translate into real construction and to gain a more practical understanding of working with stone in the landscape.
They were interested in how a dry stone wall behaves, how individual stones interact within the structure and what practical decisions are required during construction.
Drawings can define dimensions, geometry and intent, but they cannot fully communicate the irregularity of natural stone. Working directly with the material makes it easier to understand what can realistically be achieved and how the character of the stone influences the finished structure.
What We Built during the Course
Under the guidance of the instructor, the group built another section of dry stone wall using local granite. The wall became part of our practical training area in Novosedly and gave participants the opportunity to apply the principles directly during construction.
The group worked through stone selection, positioning and the relationship between individual pieces within the wall. Every participant approached the material from a different professional background, but the wall required the same thing from everyone: observe the stone, understand its shape and find the position where it works best.
Different Professions, the Same Stonework Principles
The fifth course showed particularly clearly how dry stone walling can bring together people from very different fields. One participant approached stone from the perspective of public infrastructure, two came from architecture and another from software and game development.
Their reasons for attending were different, but the material presented everyone with the same practical questions: Which stone should I use? Which face should be visible? How should it sit? Does it bond properly with the surrounding stones? Is the structure stable?
Those questions are difficult to understand completely from theory alone. Working directly with natural stone turns them into practical decisions that have an immediate effect on the wall in front of you.
Learn Dry Stone Walling Hands-On
Our practical courses take place in Novosedly, South Moravia, Czech Republic. Participants work directly with natural stone and learn the underlying principles of wall construction through hands-on practice.
Find out more about the Dry Stone Walling Course or view all practical stonework courses and available dates.
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