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Host rating
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Last replied
3 Dec 2024
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Description
Welcome to our small subsistence farm in Zempow, a little village near Wittstock, Brandenburg. It’s a 2.5-hour train journey from the city of Berlin. We're currently transitioning our 9000sqm property to more sustainable farming practices. Previously a goat farm, we're moving to permaculture and carbon sequestration, emphasizing our commitment to CO2 reduction. We have planted trees and bushes on the former goat meadows in 2022, and we're exploring the cultivation of crops like soybeans, lupins, and amaranth to provide more plant-based proteins. We, that used to be more people, but currently things are changing and we are basically Ulrike, Ulrike's father Bernd (born 1926), as well as our dog Ranger and cat Nita. Also, Andrea, a yoga teacher who came here as a workawayer, is still around with her dog Enya. The name of our project refers to the bible quotation „They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.“(Micah 4).
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Elderly Companionship
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We see our farm as a place for learning together. Here, you may learn about organic gardening, about growing trees, about living together as a community as well as many practical skills. We are pretty much tied up here, so we like to learn from the experiences and observations you bring from other parts of the world. Together with you we want to continue learning about nonviolent communication and a respectful way of dealing with each other.
We believe that the climate crisis makes it absolutely necessary to reflect our habits and to find out whether they are still appropriate in a changing world. A lot of the things that could be done to reduce CO2 emissions are just not done because people hate to change the way they have always been doing things. So, when you come to here, please expect to be challenged to reflect your habits, please feel invited to challenge our habits, and please expect to find some things different from how you know them from other places. For example, our food is mostly vegan; we save water by using compost toilets; we use the washing machine and dishwasher mostly when the sun is shining to use the energy from our photovoltaic installation. We have our own plant-based sewage system so we can only use bio-degradable products.
In addition to that, Ulrike is also chair of the Peace Barn association (Friedensscheune e.V.), which commemorates the succesful struggle of a citizen’s movement against a military air-ground-training range. That area is very close to us and is now partly protected as National Cultural Heritage, partly protected by the EU as a Fauna-flora-habtiat. We’re happy to tell you about this big example of a succesful nonviolent protest movement.Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Life here is a blend of indoor and outdoor activities. Outside, tasks range from weeding, planting and harvesting to tending to our chickens, maintaining the greenhouse and watering our trees and bushes. Sometimes there are also diy projects, like building, fixing or maintaining things. Indoors, we like to take turns with cooking lunch, using the seasonal fresh veggies from our garden. From July until October, more or less, there is also a lot of work with preserving food – like cooking big amounts of vegetable sauce and pasteurizing it, or cooking jam. As for household chores like cleaning, dishwashing and laundry, we like to share them between all those who are here. Also, we appreciate if workawayers spend time with Bernd, going for walks or just talking (if the language barrier is not too high). And yes, it is sometimes hard to draw the line between work and non-work.
We do not exchange work for food and accomodation. We share our food with you because you are hungry; we give you a place to sleep because you need rest and some privacy. We suppose you work with us because you see that the work is necessary and makes sense, and because you can learn something from it.Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: IntermediateAccommodation
Our attic has been converted into two private rooms for our workawayers so you'll have your own space to wind down whenever you like. When there are more than two workawayers, you might have to share a room.
What else ...
Beyond the farm, Zempow and the surroundings offer a lot of natural attractions. You may borrow our bicycles for tours in the area. With its nice lakes, scenic cycling paths, forests and heathlands, the nature of Brandenburg is a great place to explore.
How do you travel? We would like to encourage you to use trains or buses as much as possible rather than flying. We are happy to help you find the best available connections.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The wifi achieves speeds of 40-50mbps download speeds and is rarely used by us during the day so you'll have no issue getting your work done.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (26)
My stay in Zempow was very special. Going and staying with other family, learning about their cultures, talking with them, and watching how they interact with one another is all part of my learning experience. (Especially for me, because I am from India, the culture here is… read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
My stay in Zempow was very special. Going and staying with other family, learning about their cultures, talking with them, and watching how they interact with one another is all part of my learning experience. (Especially for me, because I am from India, the culture here is… read more
I learned a lot, from farm stuff to human stuff, and all of it - I appreciate!
:)
Last month we spent a few days with Ulrike, Niels, Dorothea, Bernd and Ranger. We are so happy about it!
Although the time was short, we had the opportunity to help out with wood piling, cooking and mostly working the garden where we learned from Ulrike’s knowledge and experience.
Ulrike and Niels are two powerful and kind humans with an… read more
My first impression was so nice because I met Niels, Ulrike AND Claudia, my little treasure of the place. In the next morning she went to Hamburg, but she came back! :-) So I like to say I felt in the beginning some sort of shy because as an extroverted person I was… read more
Everything from helping out with the goats and weeding in the garden to making fresh jam and eating yummy food has been an experience that… read more
you have found the right workawayer, if
- you want your house to be cleaned or if there are other jobs that you don't want to do yourself
- you like a good atmosphere in the group
- you like to accomodate a workawayer with a big big heart
- you haven't already tried his rice ... you just have to taste it
Dermi, thank you… read more
Ulrike is very organized and was always willing to guide you with patience, and I never had the feeling of being supervised.… read more
A small and pretty village, a beautiful nearby lake and a unique way of life.
When first arriving at I found it hard to adjust to the workload as I surely underestimated the attention and care that is requisite with keeping goats and chickens alongside normal domestic tasks - goats are interesting… read more
I just saw the profile of Sebastian and remembered him and his stay and thought, he definitly deserves an extrodinary feedback. So here it is. Lucky hosts that get the chance to welcome him.
I also appreciated the trust, I was given, while being ill. (It was okay to sleep a lot and it was like "It's okay to… read more
I spent two weeks with Niels and Ulrike and shared their eco-friendly daily life. I learnt a lot about animals, farming, peace, singing, living with others, organization, respect, non-violent communication...
There's always an intersting thing to do, a new project to begin and time to rest and enjoy the landscape, Zempow and… read more
The work is very nice and respectful, you'll have opportunity to do a lot of different things if… read more
members, and with their routines. It took us a… read more
Beautiful location in a very quiet area with lots of surrounding lakes for swimming, kayaking or… read more