Geschichtshandwerk and Our Heart For the Middle Ages

Geschichtshandwerk represents over 20 years of experience in historical craftsmanship. Over this time, we have built deep expertise in drum making, woodworking, and birch bark processing, established lasting relationships with trusted masters, and put together a product range that is hard to find anywhere else. Our goal is not just to sell products, but to help everyone find exactly what they need for their project — whether it’s medieval reconstruction, music, spiritual practices, handmade creations, or LARP (live-action role-playing).

What Do We Offer?

Our shop offers both ready-made products in the medieval style and historically accurate replicas, as well as materials for making them yourself. In our shop you can find, among other things:

• Rawhides of various animal types, tanned using traditional German methods without artificial chemicals (the hide is depilated using lime liquor or bacterial methods, and then gently air-dried)
• String instruments with a history of over 1,000 years
• Shamanic frame drums for spiritual practices, sound healing, or simply making music
• Ready-made DIY sets that let you recreate a piece of history with your own hands or that can be a great gift for history enthusiasts and hands-on makers
• One-of-a-kind pieces made from rawhide, metal, and wood
• Birch bark and finished birch bark products
• And much more!

Craftspeople, instrument makers, artists, musicians, historical re-enactors, and everyone who loves the Middle Ages — you’ll all find something here that speaks to you.

Our Principles

Working with Other Masters

We warmly welcome contact and collaboration with professionals in the field of historical craftsmanship from around the world. Some of our products — traditional instruments, birch bark items, and other handmade goods — are sourced from masters in Eastern Europe. They are true professionals, and we never negotiate prices down, because quality matters to us — and quality deserves fair pay.

We offer special terms for professional craftspeople: those for whom historical craft is a way of life or a primary occupation are welcome to ask about discounts.

Care for the Environment

The health of our planet matters to us, and we keep that in mind in everything we do — including our production process.

• Our workshop runs entirely on renewable energy. 90% comes from our own solar installation with 50 kW capacity and 40 kWh battery storage; the remaining 10% is purchased from a certified green energy supplier.
• We reuse packaging: 95% of the boxes and packaging materials we use are pre-owned. This keeps our costs — and our prices — down, while reducing waste. We also aim to ship our own products without individual packaging wherever possible.

FAQs

Where do your products come from? 

Part of our range — such as traditional Eastern European instruments (gusli, kannel, kokle) and birch bark products — is sourced from long-standing, hand-picked craftsmen in Eastern Europe whom we have worked with for many years. They make everything by hand and with care. Shields, some birch bark items, and other products we make ourselves. You can learn more about our birch bark products on our second website — birkenleder.de.

What is birkenleder.de and how does it relate to Geschichtshandwerk? 

Birkenleder.de is our second project, dedicated entirely to birch bark. There you’ll find an expanded range of products made from this unique material, including custom orders. Both sites belong to us and are run by the same team. In short: Geschichtshandwerk — for everything related to the Middle Ages and historical craft; Birkenleder — for everything birch.

How quickly do you ship? 

Items that are in stock are usually shipped within 3–4 working days after receipt of payment. We are a small business and, unfortunately, do not have the same logistics setup as Аmazon. Made-to-order products — drums, shields, instruments — take a little longer; we discuss exact timelines individually before the order is placed.

Can I order something custom? 

Yes. If you need a drum of a specific size, a shield for a particular reconstruction, or raw material in a non-standard format — just write to us. We can fulfil most custom requests, and if we can’t, we’ll say so honestly and recommend an alternative where possible.

Do you ship internationally? 

Yes, we ship throughout Germany and to many other countries. For orders outside the EU, as well as for businesses registered outside Germany, please contact us directly before placing your order — and don’t forget to include your VAT number.

Still have questions? Do not hesitate to contact us — we will be glas to help you!