Bring to life 1910 railway station and be part of a creative project near Prague, Czech Republic

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  About me
  Hi, my name’s Jam. I’m originally from Australia but have been living in the Czech Republic for many years. Since 2014, I’ve been restoring an old railway station between Prague and Plzeň. Volunteers have played a big role in bringing life, creativity, and care to the old station. I take volunteers mostly in the warmer months.
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  About the place
  The station is located in a quiet, forested region between Prague and Plzeň. A direct train will take you to Prague in about an hour and to Plzeň in 45 minutes. There’s a historic castle in Zbiroh just 3 km away, along with plenty of lakes, walking trails, and cycling routes. The nearest working train station is Kařez, about a 10–15 minute walk away.
  
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  About the project
  The station is a protected cultural monument, and my goal is to bring it back to life while preserving its historic character, this is a cultural exchange as apposed to a paid work position.
  
  
  We cook and share meals together, and I do my best to provide food for everyone. Volunteers are also welcome to bring their own food and contribute to what we cook and eat together. Out of respect for the shared space and its values, all food provided for volunteers at the station is vegetarian. I ask that volunteers bring no drugs or alcohol onto the premises.
  
  I often shop at Makro and elsewhere for affordable bulk food, taking advantage of lower-cost items when available to help keep the project economical. Since I acquired the property 12 years ago, the project has not received any government subsidies or funding through Czech or EU grant programs.
  
  
  Getting to/from Prague.
  • Use the PID app for a multi-zone ticket—110 Kč covers 3 hours of travel across Prague’s network, including all the way to Kařez. Even from Prague airport to here.
  
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  Practical notes
  
  Please use hot water and electricity mindfully. Energy costs have risen considerably, and we try to use resources sustainably. We are also currently under water restrictions because the town’s wastewater infrastructure has not yet been modernised. For this reason, there are no washing machines available in the building, so please keep this in mind when planning your stay. I often travel to Prague and, when possible, can take volunteers’ clothes with me to be washed, but this cannot be guaranteed. With the bnb currently not operating due to various “interesting” regulatory hurdles, resources for the station project are also more limited, so we simply ask everyone staying here to be thoughtful about their use of water and energy.
  
  • As a general guideline, please shower every second day unless you’ve been doing hard, sweaty work. Cold showers in the summer can be refreshing.
  • Volunteer accommodation is in shared bunk rooms, with separate sleeping areas for women and men. As there are only two bunk rooms, couples cannot currently share the same room. Unless organised prior.
  • Please respect the calm atmosphere of the place. Families with children often stay in the guest rooms, so a considerate, peaceful/respectful approach.
  • ID registration: All foreign volunteers must be registered with the foreign police. I’ll need to take your ID on arrival and log your stay (a legal requirement).
  • Accommodation: I live on-site. The building includes six flats, private land, and its own water supply. I share the property with four friendly cats.
  • Volunteers are not involved in any of my private business activities (such as bnb or Booking.com). All help is focused on the care, maintenance, and revitalization of the heritage-listed railway station
  
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  Currently I host a Yad Vashem exhibition on the platform. Yad Vashem is an Israeli organisation dedicated to preserving the memory of those who suffered under the Nazi regime.
  
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  Philosophy: Having lived in the Czech Republic and seen the long term social effects left behind by centralised communist systems, I value individual agency very highly. I believe healthy communities are formed by capable individuals voluntarily working together , not by ideological conformity, dependency, or top-down control. I’m cautious of large centralised institutions , whether governments or corporations, especially when they use moral branding or “greenwashing” while contributing to the very problems they claim to solve. This is not a collective-living experiment or a political activism space. It is a collaborative environment where personal boundaries, property, privacy, and accountability are respected. If your worldview is strongly rooted in collectivist politics, anti-property rights beliefs, or highly ideological activism, this may not be the right fit, and that’s completely okay.
  
  The station project is funded through my own small-business activities, and I use AI as a practical tool in many aspects of the project, both creatively and in running the business. I have occasionally hosted volunteers who are strongly opposed to the use of AI, while I personally find the technology extremely useful.
  
  I often ask volunteers to collaborate with me using ChatGPT, particularly when developing open-source projects and exploring new ideas connected with the station. Ideally, I like to use ChatGPT as a shared workspace where we can discuss ideas, solve problems and plan things together. We also use it for practical everyday organisation, such as planning work, cooking and making efficient use of the resources we have available. You do not need to share all of my views about AI, but you should be comfortable working with it as one of the tools we use here.
  
  The new sleeping arrangement means that volunteers stay within the old station building and share the space with four resident cats. If you are allergic to cats, or if you would be uncomfortable having cats around during the day and potentially at night, please take this into consideration before applying.
  
  The cats are well cared for, toilet trained, and have access to multiple litter boxes, which are cleaned regularly.
  
  Important
  When contacting me, please start your message with “Hi Jam” so I know you’ve read the profile
  
  Important: At present, my Bnb accommodation is closed, and volunteers are not involved in any commercial business activities. Volunteer help is focused entirely on the restoration, maintenance, and preservation of the historic railway station and other non-commercial cultural heritage projects. If the Bnb reopens in the future, volunteers will not be asked to assist with commercial hosting activities.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Karitative Arbeit

  Kunstprojekte

  Sprachpraxis

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Leichte Gartenarbeit

  Kreative Heimwerkerprojekte

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Leichte Instandhaltungsarbeiten

  Hilfe mit Computer /Internet

  Haus- & Haustiersitting
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  Interessengebiete

  

  Wandern

  

  Natur

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Wintersport

  

  Segeln / Boote

  

  Gebirge
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Cultural Exchange & Free Time
  Experience daily life at a peaceful heritage site while contributing to its preservation.
  This is a unique opportunity to slow down, live simply, and share meaningful moments with other volunteers.
  Enjoy local sights like Zbiroh Castle, forest trails, lakes, and traditional Czech villages.
  The station is a 10–15 minute walk from Kařez train station (direct to Prague and Plzeň) and also served by the Borek bus stop.
  For maps, tips, and links to my blog about the project and region, just ask.

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  Arbeit

  Expectations:
  • Help 3-5 hours/day, 2 days off,
  Preferably Monday and Tuesday.
  
  What to Bring (and What I Provide):
  I provide clean bed sheets, towels, shoes and clothes if needed (from things mostly left behind/found, so if you come without standards things, don’t expect so much.
  
  
  help might include:
  • Chopping and sorting wood
  • Building simple features using recycled materials (for example, glass bottles)
  • Moving materials when things need to shift
  • Improving the general feel and atmosphere of the station
  • Carrying a bag in the forest and picking up rubbish as you walk
  • Helping document the history of the station and surrounding area in a thoughtful, truthful way
  • Assisting visiting artists if something interests you
  • Developing future ceramic or creative workshop spaces
  • Taking care of the cats
  
  Some of the structures we experiment with may not make strict economic sense — but they make ecological or artistic sense.
  
  Recently I’ve got back into making music in a more serious way, so I’m also interested in having volunteers that are into creative expression, and different forms of direct communication with art, without regular/established frameworks. I’m interested to create a music licensing vehicle that allows artist to directly license what they make where they choose, as appose to having to adapt to where venues and art spaces are. I’m interested in direct decentralised forms of expression, that integrate with the technological change happening around us.
  
  This place works best with people who already have some internal stability and common sense. I’m kind of chaotic in nature at times, so a sense of humour and patience is helpful.

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  Sprachen

  Gesprochene Sprachen
  Englisch: Fließend

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
  I speak English fluently and enough Czech to get along with people, I’m in the process of learning Hebrew.
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  Unterkunft

  I have 4 cats. They are mostly indoor cats, so please don’t leave them outside unattended. As mentioned earlier, the cats live in the station area and have access to the bunks and common spaces, so please take this into consideration.
  
  I currently have two bunk spaces available: one for men and one for women. Unfortunately, couples will need to sleep separately. Cooking area and toilet is on the platform.

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  Was noch ...

  Nearby Castles & Sights
  • Zbiroh & Točník: bike-friendly trails from the station (≈ 3 km to Zbiroh).
  • Karlštejn & Křivoklát: direct train from Kařez.
  • Lakes: two beautiful small lakes right by the station—ideal for a quiet walk and enjoying nature. These lakes aren’t suitable for swimming, but there are designated swimming spots within easy walking distance (ask me for details). And a good swimming lake 40 minuet walk away.
  
  Transport & Practical Tips
  • Train & bus times: check (search “Kařez,,Borek”).
  • Bus stop “Borek”: immediately outside the station; service is infrequent—arrive a few minutes early, carry exact change, and note which side of the road your return bus will stop on. Local drivers can seem brusque; a smile goes a long way.
  • Path to Kařez station: a 10–15 min walk along an unmarked trail—ask me for precise directions.
  
  Weekend & Excursions
  • Prague day trip:
  • Depart Kařez ~ 15:35
  • Return Prague → Kařez at 23:22 (arrive ~ 00:22)
  • Warning: if you miss that, the next train isn’t until ~ 04:32 (Apr–Oct only; no Sat-night service).
  • Plzeň visit (≈ 40 min):
  • Last direct train back ~ 20:40 (no hostels in Plzeň—plan ahead)
  • Highlights: Pilsner Urquell Brewery tours; depo2015 makerspace & café; Jewish Synagogue exhibitions; tea houses Perlová čajovna & Čajovna u Pekla.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

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  Meine Tiere/Haustiere

  Choo Choo

  Mindy (2008 Jahren)

  cat

  Catcher (2010 Jahren)

  Yorrgi

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