Richard-Wagner-Straße 13, 68165 - Mannheim (DE) Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

 WELCOME TO MANNHEIMER MAPATHONS e.V.              Version ==> 

The non-profit organization Mannheimer Mapathons e.V. ("MAMAPA") uses its cartographic expertise to organize activities and provide support for: 

  • Humanitarian organizations actively providing aid in natural and/or human-made disasters or strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations worldwide

  • Integration of newly arrived migrants in the Rhine-Neckar region

  • Efforts to promote mutual respect and understanding between ethnic, national, and religious communities in the Rhein-Neckar region (and beyond)

  • Promotion of various aspects of "Remembrance Culture".

  • Strengthening of democratic norms and practices.

Building on our experience with cartographic tools and methods, we pursue our goals by:

- advising on the use of cartographic methods for effective communication 
- creating maps (examples: 1, 2)
- designing and implementing "story maps"
- offering training for participatory mapping with OpenStreetMaps (OSM)
 

Learn more about us:

Our association was initially established with aid from BASF (Ludwigshafen). We thank both the city of Mannheim and the Quirin Privatbank for their support.

CartONG (Chambéry, France), an NGO with years of experience in humanitarian cartography, was crucial in working with us to better define and realize our project goals. Likewise, HEIGIT, in nearby Heidelberg University, has been an important source of technical and organizational help. Within the local public administration, the Office for Integration and Migration of Mannheim has notably contributed to the project's success.

In the Rhein-Neckar Region, Mannheimer Mapathons e.V. has been well received. We have worked closely with the Goethe Institut, the Internationalen Bund, Stadtbibliothek Ludwigshafen, the Hochschule Mannheim, the Volkshochschule Heidelberg and the Mannheimer Abendakademie.  The latter four have generously made their IT infrastructure available to the project. We have a woring relationship with numerous groups throughout the Rhein-Neckar Metropolitan areaand beyond 

PrizewinnerAward Ceremony!
17.01.2026 in Mainz

Grünstadt: Digital mapping of the historic Jewish cemetery selected as an award winner by the state of Rheinland-Pfalz

From summer 2023 to spring 2024, volunteers from Grünstadt, under the leadership of Ms. Richarda Eich, together with Mannheimer Mapathons e.V., mapped  and documented the historic Jewish cemetery in Grünstadt (approx. 1700–1938+) using high-precision GNSS devices. This resulted in the creation of a valuable resource for commemorative culture as well as for family research and historical studies.

This project was selected by the jury of the “Rhineland-Palatinate Ideas Competition Volunteering 4.0” as one of the ten award winners and was presented to the public on 17 January 2026 in the Grand Hall of the State Chancellery in Mainz.
The site plan is available on the websites of Mannheimer Mapathons and the City of Grünstadt. 
 

Grünstadt (Palatinate)
Mapping of the
Historical Jewish Cemetery

Stage 1:Completed

Together with volunteers from the Grünstadt community, have mapped and documented the ca. 463 gravestones in the historical Jewish cemetery. After consultation with, and the approval of, the Rabbinate in Speyer, we employed a high-precision GNSS receivers from a collegue at our partner CartONG (France). Beyond registering the locations of the single gravestones, we have taken photos of and collected--as far as legibility allows--essential data about the persons buried there.

We are engaged in this project as part of a continuing, broader effort to conserve a culture of remembrance -- with the overriding goal of contributing to an understanding of the need for greater tolerance of societal diversity.

Stage 2: 2025

Partial translation of (still legible) Hebrew-language gravestones. As far as the physical condition of the gravestones permitted, names, family relations and important dates inscribed on the stones were extracted. We particularly thank the University for Jewish Studies in Heidelberg for supporting our efforts to contact language scholars willing to do this work.
tbody>
In the Rhein-Neckar Metropole
Stolpersteine
  

Based on data we imported into  OpenStreetMap-- and in cooperation with local actors -- we have produced the following Stolperstein maps:

➤ Ludwigshafen am Rhein: Thanks to the research of the association: Ludwigshafen Setzt Stolpersteine

➤ Mannheim: Created in collaboration with the MArchivum (city Historical Archive).

➤ Grünstadt (Pfalz): Working together with Ms. R.Eich, whose intensive research has made map production possible. 

As we work closely together with local authorities, these maps are updated regularly.
 

MeileDerDemokratie

On 10 October, the Mannheimer Abendakademie organized the “Mile of Democracy” as a walking tour through Mannheim’s city center. Four “stations” structured this tour; at each station, didactic and participatory activities took place, designed to inform both participants of the event and passers-by about various aspects of politics and society in a democratic state. Conclusion: an evening event with a lecture and discussion at the Abendakademie with Ms. Jagoda Marinic.

The Abendakademie approached Mannheimer Mapathons with the request of whether we could develop a “virtual tour” of the event in order to offer an online experience of the event to those who were unable to attend on 10 October.

Based on the materials and information provided by the organizers of the Abendakademie, we created a “Story Map” for this purpose (using a tool provided by ESRI).

fingerpoint The tour can be viewed online via the Abendakademie website. 
(Click or scan the QR code) 
 :

Capacity Building
In cooperation with the
Black Academy (Mannheim)

"On the organization of mapathons:
Tools and methods"

Mapathon – 31.07.2025
(Further mapathons in planning)
 

Completed:

PROJECT 2024

In the framework of "Aktionsfonds 2024" of the city of Mannheim:

Title:
Inter-religious Cooperation to Support Humanitarian Action

Further information here!
(German only)

In English

Maps

You can examine the maps we have created and host on our website.

♦ Historical Jewish Cemetery in
Grünstadt (Pfalz)

♦ Stolpersteine in:
Mannheim, Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Grünstadt (Palatinate)

English Mapathon DocumentationFlag United Kingdom

Our own "in-house" as well as translated documentation on OSM mapping and related...

For additional information about
our Mapathons and other varied activities see our pages in German.