[en] We report on a novel technique which exploits Radiative Recombination transitions for a direct experimental determination of the two-electron contributions to the ground state energy in heliumlike high-Z ions. Results are presented of a first experiment which was conducted at an electron beam ion trap for various elements ranging from Z=32 to 83. The comparison with theoretical predictions demonstrates that the achieved precision already provides a sensitive test of second order manybody contributions and approaches the size of the two-electron (screened) Lamb shift. The ptoential of the new technique will be outlined and the capability of the ESR storage ring for future investigations will be emphasized. (orig.)