Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
29 Apr 2026
Reply rate
92.3 %
Usually responds within 13 days
Feedback
8
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Details
Description
About us
We are Anke (born 1974) and Olaf (born 1969). We care deeply about sustainable living, shared spaces and community-minded projects.
The place
Right now we are renovating our house and garden in Neu Zittau (near Berlin). We are living there as a family of four (our two youngest kids still live with us – 15 and 21) and we want to invite others such as workawayers to join us in our way of living from time to time.
Depending on your skills, interests, and the season, you can join us with:
- cleaning the house and garden
- helping with cooking and meals
- helping the garden to flourish, e.g., removing old bushes or unhealthy plants
- chopping and stacking firewood
You won`t be alone with your tasks - there is always someone to guide or help you with.
Until our full swap in May/June we are using two houses, the one in Neu-Zittau and another one in Erkner, which is nearby. Olaf (and sometimes Anke as well) will be in Neu-Zittau during the week to work in the house or the garten. So you have companionship and guidances for all your questions.
Accommodation
You can stay in our small garden house (which has its own small bathroom), or you can have a private room in the main house (depending on availability and the project situation).
Location & getting around
Neu Zittau is a quiet village near Erkner. The train station S Erkner is about 5 km away (approx. 20 minutes by bike or 10 minutes by bus). From Erkner you can reach Berlin Ostkreuz in ~15 minutes or Alexanderplatz in ~25 minutes by train.
We also have bikes for workawayers usage.
Cultural exchange
We love to get into contact with different people and their background through workaway. Sharing meals, having barbecue or sitting at the fire - those are moments we really appreciate.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Gardening
Books
Languages
Cycling
Hiking
Camping
Nature
Yoga / Wellness
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We all speak German and English and Anke is able to speak a little bit Italian.
Our whole family is open to connect and spent time together, especially around dinner time.
We can help you with finding information and groups in and around Berlin that you might be interested in.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are developing the proberty and therefor tasks will vary over the next months. There is always something to do. We will show you around and you can decide what tasks matches with your interests and/or skills.
If you want to learn crafting / building - Olaf is an experienced craftsmen and you can learn a lot while assisting him in his projects. If you have some experience - the better!
If you can offer some works of art - to bring art to the proberty - that is very welcomed by us, too.
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We have different options for you to stay,
-> the small garden house. It containts of a small living room with a tiny kitchen desk, a bathroom and an attic with a bed/mattress.
-> a room in the main house. There is a bathroom and a basic kitchen for your to co-use. The main house is partly under construction - but you will have a room, that is fine and ready.
-> a parkinglot for a small campervan (max Mercedes Benz Sprinter).
What else ...
The area where you are staying (Neu Zittau) is close to a small river (Spree) and surrounded by a forest. The village has a church, a bakery and few houses.
You reach the nearest supermarket in 10 minutes by bike. In 20 min by bike (or 10 minutes by bus) you reach the trainstation Erkner. From Erkner you can take the local train to Berlin centre.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a proper and good working internet connection in the main house and quite good in the garden house.
Space for parking camper vans
We have space on the proberty for one campervan not bigger as a Mercedes Benz Sprinter.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (4)
Their property in Erkner is beautiful, and the… read more
West is the workawayer who stayed the longest so far with us - 6 weeks. Until then we never did longer stays than 2 weeks. But living/working with West was such a bliss: easy, joyful, and with great results. You helped us so much in starting the garden again: cutting bushes, digging roots of… read more
Although I only stayed for one week, it was an amazing experience. The cultural exchange was wonderful, and I had the opportunity to meet their family and… read more
She helped with picking grapes, weeding, cooking and window cleaning in the house. We highly recommend her to other places and hosts. It was a nice time having her with us.
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Their property in Erkner is beautiful, and the… read more
West is the workawayer who stayed the longest so far with us - 6 weeks. Until then we never did longer stays than 2 weeks. But living/working with West was such a bliss: easy, joyful, and with great results. You helped us so much in starting the garden again: cutting bushes, digging roots of… read more
Although I only stayed for one week, it was an amazing experience. The cultural exchange was wonderful, and I had the opportunity to meet their family and… read more
She helped with picking grapes, weeding, cooking and window cleaning in the house. We highly recommend her to other places and hosts. It was a nice time having her with us.
During their stay they visited Berlin and do probably know now more about some aspects of the city, than we do ;-)
Both were very open to the work we had to do and helped us with everything we… read more
Our hosts were exceptionally kind and accommodating, allowing our work and leisure to be structured in any way we preferred; We were given autonomy and trust.
We were able to… read more
