In the beautiful Dreisamtal, a valley close to Freiburg in southern Germany, stands our beautiful Berghäusle, the old farmhouse, which we are renovating step by step. Surrounded by beautiful vegetable gardens and plenty of pastureland with views of the Dreisamtal valley.
We are currently a group of ten people, two little ones and eight adults, who have come together over the last few years. We are between 3 and 51 years old and have experience in a wide variety of areas. We are there with our hands, hearts and heads – with a lot of motivation, (practical) commitment and dreams for this great place.
We meet once a week for regular plenary sessions in which decisions are made. Outside of this, we organize ourselves into topic-specific working groups and, where possible, we all make decisions together by consensus.
About once a month we have a social plenary in which we look at and deal with conflicts together, for which we sometimes get outside support in the form of moderation or supervision. From time to time, we spend group weekends together to strengthen cohesion.
Ecology
As an area with an ecological balancing function, the grassland areas are important for the landscape and we want to preserve and maintain the two biotopes on and around the property. We therefore intend to manage the land extensively and in a nature-friendly manner in future.
Community
We can only tackle this major project together. It is important to us to listen to all opinions and make decisions by consensus. We distribute upcoming tasks across all shoulders and celebrate our successes together – also together with the support group that carries usrrounded by beautiful vegetable gardens and plenty of pastureland with views of the Dreisamtal valley.
Small-scale farming
In order to preserve the species-rich mosaic structures in the cultural landscape, we would like to allow the farm gardens to flourish again, bring the existing orchards back into use and graze the open land with sheep and goats.
Closing cycles
We recycle as many materials as possible for our home expansion, for example, from demolished buildings. We also try to integrate our electricity, water, and waste systems into a closed-loop system as best we can.
Sustainability
Our goal is a sustainable, ecologically conscious, and socially responsible rural community that can serve as a model for future generations. We want to embrace what the area offers and largely provide ourselves with our own fruit and vegetables.
Openness
It’s very important to us not just to keep to ourselves, but to make the place inviting and to offer spaces and opportunities for an open meeting place, inviting people to live our vision with us.
Thanks to a bit of luck, a good dose of perseverance, and many patient hours in the kitchen of Schloss Ebnet, we were able to purchase the Kohlbacher Berghäusle (small mountain house) with its 3.7 hectares of pastureland as a club after almost two years of tough negotiations and a purchase process.
We accepted the huge construction site on the steep north-facing slope overlooking the Dreisamtal valley, knowing the real estate market in the Freiburg area, and slowly began the construction process and the development of the outdoor area (days of battling with the blackberries) to create an open and inviting space.
The Kohlbacher Berghäusle is a former mountain pasture from the 18th century. In the past, just like alpine pastures in the Alps today, it was only inhabited and farmed in the summer. The former main building stands a few hundred meters down the slope. We use the land around the house for growing fruit and vegetables and for relaxing and playing. We also have around 3.7 hectares of pastureland, which we currently lease.
Only a small portion of the house was previously occupied. Most of the area was used as a barn. We want to change that and create approximately 300 square meters of living space with a large common area. There will be a shared apartment with a large living room and six bedrooms, as well as a separate apartment on the ground floor. We will respect the original character of the house during the renovation.
Since around 2019, we’ve been exploring the Freiburg area in various constellations to find a place where we can combine communal, self-managed living space with small-scale farming.
Over this long period, our group composition has changed depending on the property, our current living situation, and our new additions.
In August 2022, we visited the Kohlbacher Berghäusle for the first time. Thanks to a good dose of perseverance and many patient hours of negotiation in the kitchen of Schloss Ebnet, we signed the purchase agreement in March 2024.
In June of the same year, we held our first champagne reception with all our friends and supporters on site. Since then, we’ve been working diligently here. We rely on a large circle of supporters who are working with us to dig holes for the electricity and sewage lines, re-tap the spring, insulate and plaster walls, and, of course, design and enjoy this wonderful place.
