ursprung
ursprung
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Gathering the curious, the creative, the collaborative.
Gathering
the curious,
the creative,
the collaborative.
Interdisciplinary gatherings for unlikely pairings - filmmakers and physicists, painters and programmers, poets and engineers…
Interdisciplinary gatherings for unlikely pairings - filmmakers and physicists, painters and programmers, poets and engineers…
We host small-scale, immersive retreats in the mountains where people from wildly different worlds - art, science, tech, philosophy - can actually talk to each other.
We host small-scale, immersive retreats in the mountains where people from wildly different worlds - art, science, tech, philosophy - can actually talk to each other.
We host small-scale, immersive retreats in the mountains where people from wildly different worlds - art, science, tech, philosophy - can actually talk to each other.
Retreats
Each retreat starts from a guiding theme or question designed to cut across domains and spark diverse perspectives. Sessions on this theme are interspersed with participant-led workshops, long hikes in the mountains, communal cooking, and time for both slowness and spontaneity. Three days away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, deep in nature, with people who think and work completely differently than you do.
UPCOMING
IV
Vorarlberg, Austria
Jan 15th–18th 2026
Focus Topic
Building Creative Communities
This January, we will experiment with instantiating a creative community for three days, where thoughtful doers of all stripes can come to create together in a single space, and share their experience of the creative process with one another.
Calling on artists, musicians, writers, dancers, filmmakers, poets, engineers, designers, builders - whatever your craft, come and work on it alongside others - perhaps those right next-door to your domain, perhaps those from far far afield. Work on it / share it / combine it / remix it / discuss it / see it with new eyes…
This time we will have a fairly large hut deep in the snowy mountains of Austria, with separate spaces for uninterrupted silent creating, for collaborative and chaotic creating, for sharing meals, for discussing late into the night, and of course for hiking in the wilderness.
PREVIOUS
III
Tyrol, Austria
Nov 14th–17th 2025
Focus Topic
Tools for Thought
In November, we wanted to see what would happen when we brought together a collection of thinkers to build, ideate and prototype together on an ambitious question: how can we invent new tools for thought?
Effective tools for thought - writing, drawing, mathematics, maps, data visualizations, spreadsheets - fundamentally enable certain thoughts, or even entire modes of thinking. Inspired by the long tradition and the present-day community of people asking this question, we spent three days - 26 of us this time - sharing ideas for the tools for thought we wish existed, and then bringing them, however rudimentarily, to life.
The outcomes were manifold - a tool to visually map conversations in real time; a system to disentangle the contribution of any single paper to a given research program; explorations with "explorable explanations" to learn anything dynamically, interactively and hands-on; prototypes of of richer journalling tools for better self-introspection.The concept of "jazz coding" also emerged - a spin-off of the exquisite corpse for vibe coding.
II
Tyrol, Austria
May 23rd–26th 2025
Focus Topic
Salon Culture
In May, we were interested in historical examples of successful social technologies for communication and interdisciplinary exchange. We gathered 18 participants to explore the phenomenon of 17th-19th century salons - intimate spaces for exploratory conversations driven by ideas rather than status.
Highlights included a cross-pollination studio pairing orthogonal participants for creation sprints, discussions on the hidden costs of interdisciplinarity, a filmmaker’s introduction to a personal theory of cinedelics, experiments with Bohmian dialogues, and a spontaneous multi-day session on deriving everything from first principles.
I
Allgäu, Germany
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Pilot
Our first experiment with the retreat format saw 12 participants arriving by snowmobile to a remote alpine hut and indulging each other’s curiosity for three days while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood-burning stove.
Participant-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
UPCOMING
IV
Vorarlberg, Austria
Jan 15th–18th 2026
Focus Topic
Building Creative Communities
This January, we will experiment with instantiating a creative community for three days, where thoughtful doers of all stripes can come to create together in a single space, and share their experience of the creative process with one another.
Calling on artists, musicians, writers, dancers, filmmakers, poets, engineers, designers, builders - whatever your craft, come and work on it alongside others - perhaps those right next-door to your domain, perhaps those from far far afield. Work on it / share it / combine it / remix it / discuss it / see it with new eyes…
This time we will have a fairly large hut deep in the snowy mountains of Austria, with separate spaces for uninterrupted silent creating, for collaborative and chaotic creating, for sharing meals, for discussing late into the night, and of course for hiking in the wilderness.
PREVIOUS
III
Tyrol, Austria
Nov 14th–17th 2025
Focus Topic
Tools for Thought
In November, we wanted to see what would happen when we brought together a collection of thinkers to build, ideate and prototype together on an ambitious question: how can we invent new tools for thought?
Effective tools for thought - writing, drawing, mathematics, maps, data visualizations, spreadsheets - fundamentally enable certain thoughts, or even entire modes of thinking. Inspired by the long tradition and the present-day community of people asking this question, we spent three days - 26 of us this time - sharing ideas for the tools for thought we wish existed, and then bringing them, however rudimentarily, to life.
The outcomes were manifold - a tool to visually map conversations in real time; a system to disentangle the contribution of any single paper to a given research program; explorations with "explorable explanations" to learn anything dynamically, interactively and hands-on; prototypes of of richer journalling tools for better self-introspection.The concept of "jazz coding" also emerged - a spin-off of the exquisite corpse for vibe coding.
II
Tyrol, Austria
May 23rd–26th 2025
Focus Topic
Salon Culture
In May, we were interested in historical examples of successful social technologies for communication and interdisciplinary exchange. We gathered 18 participants to explore the phenomenon of 17th-19th century salons - intimate spaces for exploratory conversations driven by ideas rather than status.
Highlights included a cross-pollination studio pairing orthogonal participants for creation sprints, discussions on the hidden costs of interdisciplinarity, a filmmaker’s introduction to a personal theory of cinedelics, experiments with Bohmian dialogues, and a spontaneous multi-day session on deriving everything from first principles.
I
Allgäu, Germany
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Pilot
Our first experiment with the retreat format saw 12 participants arriving by snowmobile to a remote alpine hut and indulging each other’s curiosity for three days while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood-burning stove.
Participant-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
UPCOMING
IV
Vorarlberg, Austria
Jan 15th–18th 2026
Focus Topic
Building Creative Communities
This January, we will experiment with instantiating a creative community for three days, where thoughtful doers of all stripes can come to create together in a single space, and share their experience of the creative process with one another.
Calling on artists, musicians, writers, dancers, filmmakers, poets, engineers, designers, builders - whatever your craft, come and work on it alongside others - perhaps those right next-door to your domain, perhaps those from far far afield. Work on it / share it / combine it / remix it / discuss it / see it with new eyes…
This time we will have a fairly large hut deep in the snowy mountains of Austria, with separate spaces for uninterrupted silent creating, for collaborative and chaotic creating, for sharing meals, for discussing late into the night, and of course for hiking in the wilderness.
PREVIOUS
III
Tyrol, Austria
Nov 14th–17th 2025
Focus Topic
Tools for Thought
In November, we wanted to see what would happen when we brought together a collection of thinkers to build, ideate and prototype together on an ambitious question: how can we invent new tools for thought?
Effective tools for thought - writing, drawing, mathematics, maps, data visualizations, spreadsheets - fundamentally enable certain thoughts, or even entire modes of thinking. Inspired by the long tradition and the present-day community of people asking this question, we spent three days - 26 of us this time - sharing ideas for the tools for thought we wish existed, and then bringing them, however rudimentarily, to life.
The outcomes were manifold - a tool to visually map conversations in real time; a system to disentangle the contribution of any single paper to a given research program; explorations with "explorable explanations" to learn anything dynamically, interactively and hands-on; prototypes of of richer journalling tools for better self-introspection.The concept of "jazz coding" also emerged - a spin-off of the exquisite corpse for vibe coding.
II
Tyrol, Austria
May 23rd–26th 2025
Focus Topic
Salon Culture
In May, we were interested in historical examples of successful social technologies for communication and interdisciplinary exchange. We gathered 18 participants to explore the phenomenon of 17th-19th century salons - intimate spaces for exploratory conversations driven by ideas rather than status.
Highlights included a cross-pollination studio pairing orthogonal participants for creation sprints, discussions on the hidden costs of interdisciplinarity, a filmmaker’s introduction to a personal theory of cinedelics, experiments with Bohmian dialogues, and a spontaneous multi-day session on deriving everything from first principles.
I
Allgäu, Germany
Jan 3rd–6th 2025
Pilot
Our first experiment with the retreat format saw 12 participants arriving by snowmobile to a remote alpine hut and indulging each other’s curiosity for three days while hiking through wintry vistas, enjoying late-night hot tub sessions, and cooking over the wood-burning stove.
Participant-run sessions included lightning talks, origami workshops, discussions on the nature of art, how to live, AI progress, and the European innovation system.
ur · sprung
[ˈuːɐ̯ˌʃpʁʊŋ] ___ noun
__________________________
origin, source, route; the point from which something arises
ur · sprung
["oor -shproong"] noun
________________________
origin, source, route; the point from which something arises
The biggest challenges of our time aren’t boxed into neat categories. Yet so often, people are. Our institutions train us to go deep in one lane, becoming experts in smaller and smaller domains. Meanwhile, the connections between fields, and the patterns that repeat across different ways of working, get lost. Artists become separated from the technologists, the humanities remain siloed from the hard sciences, the thinkers rarely meet the makers.
We’re trying to fix that. We’re building spaces to pull you back out: places to explore, collide, and create with people who think nothing like you. Our goal is to revive the bold Renaissance spirit of cross-discipline creativity, where people would move fluidly between art and science, craft and theory. We’re bringing people from wildly different disciplines back into the same room, and creating spaces where truly interdisciplinary thinking is possible, and better yet, inevitable.
The biggest challenges of our time aren’t boxed into neat categories. Yet so often, people are. Our institutions train us to go deep in one lane, becoming experts in smaller and smaller domains. Meanwhile, the connections between fields, and the patterns that repeat across different ways of working, get lost. Artists become separated from the technologists, the humanities remain siloed from the hard sciences, the thinkers rarely meet the makers.
We’re trying to fix that. We’re building spaces to pull you back out: places to explore, collide, and create with people who think nothing like you. Our goal is to revive the bold Renaissance spirit of cross-discipline creativity, where people would move fluidly between art and science, craft and theory. We’re bringing people from wildly different disciplines back into the same room, and creating spaces where truly interdisciplinary thinking is possible, and better yet, inevitable.
Community
Beyond our retreats, the exchange of ideas continues. We’re growing a creative family of thoughtful doers who host ongoing ventures and experimental offshoots - currently including co-working sessions, a dinner series, and a reading group on the Silicon Valley canon. We are also collecting an ever-growing repository of institutes and communities with similarly interdisciplinary goals.
Our hope is to build a network of curious, creative people strung out across Europe and beyond, spanning all generations, all disciplines, and all crafts.
Have something to add to the collection? Or an idea for your own ursprung venture? Reach out to us at hi@ursprung.community.
Beyond our retreats, the exchange of ideas continues. We’re growing a creative family of thoughtful doers who host ongoing ventures and experimental offshoots - currently including co-working sessions, a dinner series, and a reading group on the Silicon Valley canon. We are also collecting an ever-growing repository of institutes and communities with similarly interdisciplinary goals.
Our hope is to build a network of curious, creative people strung out across Europe and beyond, spanning all generations, all disciplines, and all crafts.
Have something to add to the collection? Or an idea for your own ursprung venture? Reach out to us at hi@ursprung.community.
Meet the team
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian Cipriani
Adrian is chasing the dream of a frictionless environment that enables people to be more creative. He spent many years in painting, film, and music. After founding a young composers community, he launched ursprung to bridge the wide societal gap between the arts and sciences. He deeply enjoys sailing, going into the wild, and jazz. He studies engineering science and is currently specializing in biotech.
Betsy Herbert
Betsy Herbert
Betsy Herbert
Betsy spends her time thinking about minds - from those of small organisms, the swarms of crowds, and everything in between. She’s currently doing her PhD in computational neuroscience, building mathematical models of how the brain gets built. Meanwhile, via ursprung, she thinks about how to bring human minds into the most interesting combination. Other passions include drawing, painting, photography, graphic design and the violin.
Marius Jacobs
Marius Jacobs
Marius Jacobs
Marius is currently focussing on machine learning and neuroscience, and moonlighting in graphic design. He is responsible for shaping the visual identity of ursprung. When he has time to himself, he deeply enjoys meditation, jazz and exercise.
Marius is studying Computer Science at LMU Munich, with a focus on Machine Learning, Neuroscience and Design. His designs shape ursprung’s visual identity. When he has some time to himself, he enjoys meditation, jazz and exercise.
Hugo Berg
Hugo Berg
Hugo Berg
Hugo majored in computer science and math, and currently runs a cybersecurity startup. He grew up with a passion for science olympiads and music, notably double bass and choir singing, and runs international olympiads in astronomy and astrophysics.
Max Lutz
Max Lutz
Max Lutz
Max is currently doing doctoral research in quantum algorithms. He previously studied computer science and physics. He is interested in tools for thought and better scientific institutions, usually has too many Wikipedia tabs open.
Marius is studying Computer Science at LMU Munich, with a focus on Machine Learning, Neuroscience and Design. His designs shape ursprung’s visual identity. When he has some time to himself, he enjoys meditation, jazz and exercise.
Testimonials
Coming to Ursprung felt like visiting the future; it was an opportunity to learn from bright minds of different ages and unexpected talents, united by their passion for learning and contributing to the world. If you need a dose of optimism, this is the place for you.
Olga Yakimenko, film director
Coming to Ursprung felt like visiting the future; it was an opportunity to learn from bright minds of different ages and unexpected talents, united by their passion for learning and contributing to the world. If you need a dose of optimism, this is the place for you.
Olga Yakimenko, film director
Ursprung gave me a chance to learn things I'd never encountered before — from poetry techniques to film theory — alongside people who were genuinely curious about different fields. This is the place to go for anyone who craves intellectual adventure and wants to rediscover the joy of learning.
Sahil Shah, entrepreneur
Ursprung gave me a chance to learn things I'd never encountered before — from poetry techniques to film theory — alongside people who were genuinely curious about different fields. This is the place to go for anyone who craves intellectual adventure and wants to rediscover the joy of learning.
Sahil Shah, entrepreneur
For me, Ursprung was about breaking free from my daily routine to explore ideas from completely different worlds. The best part was doing it all with an incredible group of people — a community I'm genuinely excited to build the future with.
Niclas Dern, mathematician
For me, Ursprung was about breaking free from my daily routine to explore ideas from completely different worlds. The best part was doing it all with an incredible group of people — a community I'm genuinely excited to build the future with.
Niclas Dern, mathematician
The people, the place and the resulting atmosphere were incredible. The trust level among each other was very high and every talk was an experience in itself. Near the end, you know and care about everyone around you, you feel welcome, and trust in each other - which is quite astonishing for it being only 3 days.
I think I cannot yet fully comprehend the effects the retreat will have on me. But I feel like it changed the way I think about what both an individual and a group of people can do, and it gave me the motivation to just make more out of my time, build more, and to look further.
Max Thorn, software engineer
The people, the place and the resulting atmosphere were incredible. The trust level among each other was very high and every talk was an experience in itself. Near the end, you know and care about everyone around you, you feel welcome, and trust in each other - which is quite astonishing for it being only 3 days.
I think I cannot yet fully comprehend the effects the retreat will have on me. But I feel like it changed the way I think about what both an individual and a group of people can do, and it gave me the motivation to just make more out of my time, build more, and to look further.
Max Thorn, software engineer
FAQ
Who is this for?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow.
What's the age limit?
18 years and above. All ages are encouraged to apply, we are striving to be as intergenerational as possible.
Do I have to pay the full price?
Not necessarily, and please don’t let that keep you from applying. We are able to offer a limited number of subsidized tickets and want to be sure we get equal representation from all disciplines, ages and backgrounds. So apply anyway, explain your situation and we’ll see what we can do.
Will my application be accepted?
We first go through all applications and invite strong candidates to an interview. The more detailed responses you give, the more easily we can determine your fit. We ask that you share with us a portfolio of creative work of any form; we don't usually invite applicants to an interview unless we can see what you've created! Rest assured these links don't need to point to something publicly accessible, and the work can be unfinished.
What’s the accommodation like?
Traditional Alpine chalets high in the mountains with cosy, rustic charm and access to stunning hiking trails. Specifics vary depending on the retreat, but typically the chalet will have a communal area (Stube), wood-burning stove or fireplace, loft-style bedrooms, large kitchen, terrace, panoramic views, and if lucky, a hot tub or sauna.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but as an example: we start the day with a short morning run or meditation, then have a hearty brunch together in the living room. We hike for several hours, with lots of time for 1-on-1 conversation, then choose from a range of participant-led workshops during the afternoon. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which we launch into a guided session on our focus topic. The rest of the evening is free for ongoing discussions, spontaneous sessions and late-night adventures.
What are participant-led workshops?
These are sessions initiated by you! We welcome and encourage everyone to contribute something, whether related to the focus topic or a wildcard offshoot. These often turn out to be highlights of the weekend, so don’t hold back. We’ll co-create the schedule and make sure to maintain a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 4 days (single and shared rooms), large buffet-style meals, well-stocked snacks and refreshments, workshops and activities. In case a shuttle bus is needed to reach a hard-to-access venue, this will also be included in the price.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
Our refund policy is as follows - 6 weeks before retreat: full refund minus €75 processing fee; 3-6 weeks: 50% refund; 2-3 weeks: 20% refund; less than 2 weeks: no refund
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
Why do you choose such a hard-to-reach location in the mountains?
We value the pristine nature, hiking opportunities, peace and seclusion that comes from being high up in the mountains - it helps everyone unwind, think slower and more deeply, be more creative and intellectually vulnerable, and enter a different state of mind. After several days together in such a setting a kind of interpersonal magic tends to arise, unmatched with what we’ve personally experienced day-to-day “back on the ground”.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Who is this for?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow.
What's the age limit?
18 years and above. All ages are encouraged to apply, we are striving to be as intergenerational as possible.
Do I have to pay the full price?
Not necessarily, and please don’t let that keep you from applying. We are able to offer a limited number of subsidized tickets and want to be sure we get equal representation from all disciplines, ages and backgrounds. So apply anyway, explain your situation and we’ll see what we can do.
Will my application be accepted?
We first go through all applications and invite strong candidates to an interview. The more detailed responses you give, the more easily we can determine your fit. We ask that you share with us a portfolio of creative work of any form; we don't usually invite applicants to an interview unless we can see what you've created! Rest assured these links don't need to point to something publicly accessible, and the work can be unfinished.
What’s the accommodation like?
Traditional Alpine chalets high in the mountains with cosy, rustic charm and access to stunning hiking trails. Specifics vary depending on the retreat, but typically the chalet will have a communal area (Stube), wood-burning stove or fireplace, loft-style bedrooms, large kitchen, terrace, panoramic views, and if lucky, a hot tub or sauna.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but as an example: we start the day with a short morning run or meditation, then have a hearty brunch together in the living room. We hike for several hours, with lots of time for 1-on-1 conversation, then choose from a range of participant-led workshops during the afternoon. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which we launch into a guided session on our focus topic. The rest of the evening is free for ongoing discussions, spontaneous sessions and late-night adventures.
What are participant-led workshops?
These are sessions initiated by you! We welcome and encourage everyone to contribute something, whether related to the focus topic or a wildcard offshoot. These often turn out to be highlights of the weekend, so don’t hold back. We’ll co-create the schedule and make sure to maintain a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 4 days (single and shared rooms), large buffet-style meals, well-stocked snacks and refreshments, workshops and activities. In case a shuttle bus is needed to reach a hard-to-access venue, this will also be included in the price.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
Our refund policy is as follows - 6 weeks before retreat: full refund minus €75 processing fee; 3-6 weeks: 50% refund; 2-3 weeks: 20% refund; less than 2 weeks: no refund
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
Why do you choose such a hard-to-reach location in the mountains?
We value the pristine nature, hiking opportunities, peace and seclusion that comes from being high up in the mountains - it helps everyone unwind, think slower and more deeply, be more creative and intellectually vulnerable, and enter a different state of mind. After several days together in such a setting a kind of interpersonal magic tends to arise, unmatched with what we’ve personally experienced day-to-day “back on the ground”.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Who is this for?
Anyone who has worked on self-driven projects before, is curious, kind and wants to grow.
What's the age limit?
18 years and above. All ages are encouraged to apply, we are striving to be as intergenerational as possible.
Do I have to pay the full price?
Not necessarily, and please don’t let that keep you from applying. We are able to offer a limited number of subsidized tickets and want to be sure we get equal representation from all disciplines, ages and backgrounds. So apply anyway, explain your situation and we’ll see what we can do.
Will my application be accepted?
We first go through all applications and invite strong candidates to an interview. The more detailed responses you give, the more easily we can determine your fit. We ask that you share with us a portfolio of creative work of any form; we don't usually invite applicants to an interview unless we can see what you've created! Rest assured these links don't need to point to something publicly accessible, and the work can be unfinished.
What’s the accommodation like?
Traditional Alpine chalets high in the mountains with cosy, rustic charm and access to stunning hiking trails. Specifics vary depending on the retreat, but typically the chalet will have a communal area (Stube), wood-burning stove or fireplace, loft-style bedrooms, large kitchen, terrace, panoramic views, and if lucky, a hot tub or sauna.
What does a day look like?
No two days are the same, but as an example: we start the day with a short morning run or meditation, then have a hearty brunch together in the living room. We hike for several hours, with lots of time for 1-on-1 conversation, then choose from a range of participant-led workshops during the afternoon. A subgroup of people go on to prepare dinner, after which we launch into a guided session on our focus topic. The rest of the evening is free for ongoing discussions, spontaneous sessions and late-night adventures.
What are participant-led workshops?
These are sessions initiated by you! We welcome and encourage everyone to contribute something, whether related to the focus topic or a wildcard offshoot. These often turn out to be highlights of the weekend, so don’t hold back. We’ll co-create the schedule and make sure to maintain a logical, energy-sustaining daily structure that balances participant-led activities with our planned whole-group activities.
What's included in the price?
Lodging for 4 days (single and shared rooms), large buffet-style meals, well-stocked snacks and refreshments, workshops and activities. In case a shuttle bus is needed to reach a hard-to-access venue, this will also be included in the price.
Can I get a refund if I don’t make it to the retreat?
Our refund policy is as follows - 6 weeks before retreat: full refund minus €75 processing fee; 3-6 weeks: 50% refund; 2-3 weeks: 20% refund; less than 2 weeks: no refund
Can I do work during the retreat?
We expect participants to be fully present throughout the weekend. This will also maximize the value you get out of it.
Why do you choose such a hard-to-reach location in the mountains?
We value the pristine nature, hiking opportunities, peace and seclusion that comes from being high up in the mountains - it helps everyone unwind, think slower and more deeply, be more creative and intellectually vulnerable, and enter a different state of mind. After several days together in such a setting a kind of interpersonal magic tends to arise, unmatched with what we’ve personally experienced day-to-day “back on the ground”.
Do I need to know German to join?
No! Our primary language is English :)
Contact us
hi@ursprung.community
hi@ursprung.community
hi@ursprung.community