Imig, (third from the right), is joined by fellow apprentices as he starts out his three-year journey to gain experience and learn further skills. Photos: Fabian Strauch/dpa
Andreas Imig is ready to set off. A trained roofer, the next step in his career path is to go on a journey, acquiring new skills and experiences in different areas.
Dating back to mediaeval times when many professions were still controlled by the guild system, it is a hallowed centuries-old tradition in Germany, which can be practised by anyone under the age of 30 in the construction sector and others crafts, including thatchers, tilers, bricklayers, masons or carpenters.
As long as they are single, without debt, speak German and are a member of a trade union, they can take to the road.
Clad in a traditional black uniform and tall hat and carrying a sleeping bag, the journeymen and journeywomen spend three years and a day learning new skills and gaining new insights beyond their home town.
They only carry €5 (RM25.50) in their pocket and in line with tradition, should only return with this sum. The concept aims to encourage the travelling journeyman to avoid squandering or saving up money on the trip, which is solely for the purpose of experience.
Imig is ready for his journey and he knows the first town he is heading for. Accompanied by a more experienced journeyman, he will work on the next steps while on the road.
"I already knew during my apprenticeship that I wanted to do this," he says.
The idea came to him while he was listening to the radio. He jumped at the prospect of being on the road, able to choose his own destinations as the spirit took him.
He started out on a wind-blown Sunday in April. Accompanied by family and friends, Imig went along a country road on the outskirts of the western city of Essen to complete a series of rituals before setting off.
The mediaeval tradition dictates that once he has left the town sign behind him, he is not allowed to enter his home town again for the duration of his roaming at least, namely three years and one day.
Imig packed light and in line with tradition. He carries a twisted stick known as a Stenz, a hiking book and his Charlottenburger, a travel bundle that contains his sleeping bag and clothes.
As a roofer, he wears black clothing with his hat. The colour differs according to the journeyman or journeywoman's trade. Through details in their clothing, they also express their membership in their association, known as a "Schacht".
Imig is joining the Roland brothers, who wear a blue ribbon like a tie on the collar. But Imig may not yet wear the sign of the Roland Brotherhood before he is officially accepted into the group.
For the first few weeks, he has to accompany an experienced Roland brother as an aspirant. That is carpenter Tim Schulz, who travelled specially to Essen as what is known as an export journeyman.
Once qualified, journeymen make their way about the country to gain experience of work and life. They often travel by foot or by hitchhiking but learn a great deal in the process.
Schulz, 25, is from Potsdam near Berlin and has already been on the road for two and a half years. His job now is to show Imig how to travel and to find work on the journey.
Only after this probationary period will Imig be awarded the "blue honour" – the right to wear the tie.
The Rolandschacht was founded in 1891 and today unites 11 building trades: Carpenters, joiners, wood carvers, roofers, stone setters, stonemasons, bricklayers, concrete builders, plasterers and – more recently – blacksmiths and boat builders.
"But these numbers are always just estimates. They come and go."
Right now, there are around 55 journeymen on the road. Those who successfully complete their journey become local Brothers of Roland.
In 2014, Unesco included the custom in its list of intangible cultural heritage. Women are not accepted in all associations, but can also go on the road as free-travelling journeywomen.
Once qualified, journeymen make their way about the country to gain experience of work and life. They often travel by foot or by hitchhiking but learn a great deal in the process. The traditions and rituals still play a decisive role for the journeymen wanderers today.
Journeymen from throughout Germany and Switzerland came to Imig's farewell party to set him a few tasks before setting off and accompany him on the first few kilometres.
"And then first towards the north," says Schulz. Everything else will be decided on the way.
Today's journeymen and women have destinations all over the world at their disposal.
"Highlights so far have been the Faroe Islands, Norway, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico," says Schulz.
Warm countries are particularly popular in the winter months, he adds.
The wandering craftspeople spend very little because of the way they travel and because they are able to stay in special hostels.
Some journeymen also travel across the Atlantic as helpers on sailing ships, Schulz says.
Travelling abroad is becoming increasingly popular among journeymen, says Alexander Konrad of the Dusseldorf Chamber of Crafts.
"Frequent destinations are also still our neighbouring countries, but also Eastern Europe and Scandinavia."
Those who come to the Chamber of Skilled Crafts on their journey can take advantage of services such as legal advice.
"As a large chamber of crafts, we are visited more often by itinerants – sometimes weekly, sometimes daily."
In the past, trained apprentices often headed abroad, many due to economic constraints. However, Germany is currently struggling with a shortage of skilled workers, so journeymen and women now tend to be motivated more by the desire to gain further experience and travel.
"Being cosmopolitan can't hurt at all."
The crafts traditions of other countries are also instructive for the journeymen and women, he adds.
One last tradition was waiting for Imig before he left his home town, namely climbing over the town sign. But turns out, it was just too wobbly.
So then he set out, walking along the roadside.
"It's good that it's starting now," says his mother, Petra Imig. After all, she says, they have been preparing for this day for a long time.
From now on, the journeyman has to avoid a 60km radius around Essen, but his family is allowed to visit him on his journey.
But there will be radio silence for a while as he may not carry his mobile phone on his trip, and the rules ban any contact with home during the first six weeks. – dpa
