A method of manufacturing a multilayer engineered heart muscle (MEHM), the method comprising the steps of: (i) providing a liquid reconstitution mixture in a mould, wherein said reconstitution mixture is perforated by at least two poles, wherein said reconstitution mixture comprises (a) collagen, (b) a cellular mixture of cardiac myocytes and non-myocytes and (c) a suitable reconstitution medium, whereby said reconstitution mixture undergoes gelation in the mould, (ii) culturing the mixture obtained by step (i) in said mould in a suitable culturing medium, whereby the reconstitution mixture compacts in the mould; (iii) a) adding a further liquid reconstitution mixture as defined in step (i) from the top and/or from the bottom to the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) whereby said further liquid reconstitution mixture undergoes gelation, followed by culturing under the same conditions as in step ii), whereby said further reconstitution mixture compacts in the mould; or b) transferring the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) into a different mould, wherein said reconstitution mixture is perforated by at least two poles, followed by carrying out step (iii) a) in said different mould; thereby obtaining a multilayer engineered heart muscle (MEHM), preferably wherein the MEHM is thickened by repeating step (iii)a) and/or step (iii)b) at least once, and (iv) optionally culturing the MEHM of step (iii) in said mould in a suitable maturating medium, wherein the MEHM is capable of contracting, wherein the MEHM is from 0.7 mm to 30 mm in thickness and wherein the MEHM has an interpole distance from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. (i) providing a liquid reconstitution mixture in a mould, wherein said reconstitution mixture is perforated by at least two poles, wherein said reconstitution mixture comprises (a) collagen, (b) a cellular mixture of cardiac myocytes and non-myocytes and (c) a suitable reconstitution medium, whereby said reconstitution mixture undergoes gelation in the mould, (ii) culturing the mixture obtained by step (i) in said mould in a suitable culturing medium, whereby the reconstitution mixture compacts in the mould; (iii) a) adding a further liquid reconstitution mixture as defined in step (i) from the top and/or from the bottom to the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) whereby said further liquid reconstitution mixture undergoes gelation, followed by culturing under the same conditions as in step ii), whereby said further reconstitution mixture compacts in the mould; or b) transferring the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) into a different mould, wherein said reconstitution mixture is perforated by at least two poles, followed by carrying out step (iii) a) in said different mould; thereby obtaining a multilayer engineered heart muscle (MEHM), preferably wherein the MEHM is thickened by repeating step (iii)a) and/or step (iii)b) at least once, and a) adding a further liquid reconstitution mixture as defined in step (i) from the top and/or from the bottom to the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) whereby said further liquid reconstitution mixture undergoes gelation, followed by culturing under the same conditions as in step ii), whereby said further reconstitution mixture compacts in the mould; or b) transferring the compacted reconstitution mixture obtained by step (ii) into a different mould, wherein said reconstitution mixture is perforated by at least two poles, followed by carrying out step (iii) a) in said different mould; thereby obtaining a multilayer engineered heart muscle (MEHM), preferably wherein the MEHM is thickened by repeating step (iii)a) and/or step (iii)b) at least once, and (iv) optionally culturing the MEHM of step (iii) in said mould in a suitable maturating medium, <EOS>