Help with our daily activities in the Harz, Germany

Infos

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  Description

  Welcome WorkAwayer!
  
  How lovely that you’ve found your way to our profile! We are Edward (55) and Ingrid (58), two adventurous Dutchies who fell head over heels in love with an old, abandoned train station in Ballenstedt back in 2020. The history, the atmosphere, the hidden stories in the building… it grabbed us immediately. And since then, we’ve been bringing this special place back to life.
  
  🚂 Our Story
  We started the renovation in the summer of 2020, a huge project! Luckily, we were not alone for long: almost 100 WorkAwayers have helped us so far. Wonderful people from all over the world, which is exactly what makes WorkAway so special to us. Ingrid has also travelled as a WorkAwayer herself, so we truly understand the beauty and value of cultural exchange. That experience inspired us to become hosts and we absolutely love it.
  
  For us the work is only a small part of the experience. What matters most is sharing life with people who, like us, are dreamers, curious about the world, adventurous, and willing to step outside their comfort zone. (Although, to be honest, we often end up exhausted on the couch in the evenings after a busy day!)
  
  🔨 What’s happening now
  Inside the station, almost everything is finished. Only a few small painting and carpentry tasks remain. Most of the work now takes place outside in the garden, so if you enjoy working outdoors and breathing in fresh air all day, you’ll feel very much at home here.
  
  🌿 Who we are
  WorkAwayers describe us as warm, honest, adventurous, welcoming, and fun — and we happily accept all of these. We love connecting people, telling stories, sharing meals, and creating memories. A station has always been a place where people from around the world crossed paths and we love bringing that energy back. No trains anymore, but a beautiful cycle path runs right past our front door, and inside you’ll find a cosy, inviting atmosphere. We enjoy connecting people, sharing stories, and creating memories together. You’ll become part of our daily life and we often take WorkAwayers along on trips and activities, but only if you enjoy that, of course.
  
  🏞️ About Ballenstedt & surroundings
  Ballenstedt, right in the beautiful Harz region of eastern Germany, is a charming little town with about 5,500 inhabitants, full of character and history. The beautiful Ballenstedt Castle, which even has a historical link to our station, is just around the corner.
  Nearby highlights include: Quedlinburg (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Wernigerode, Thale & the Harz Mountains, Leipzig and Magdeburg. It’s the perfect region for hikers, cyclists, nature lovers, and anyone who enjoys peace and space.
  
  💛 What makes our project special
  Our project is about much more than renovating an old station. It’s about following dreams, sharing stories, and building something meaningful together. Every WorkAwayer leaves a little part of themselves here and takes a piece of our adventure back home. We’re excited to meet you, work together, laugh, build, plant, paint, share meals, and create a chapter of our crazy station story together.
  
  👉 Feeling inspired to join us?
  Send us a message! We’d love to schedule a video call to get to know each other and talk about the plans.
  
  Hope to meet you soon! Ingrid & Edward

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Aide à la maison
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Culture

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Langues

  

  Musique

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Livres

  

  Art et design

  

  Architecture

  

  Montagne

  

  Nature
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  The Workawayers have truly become part of our lives. We love welcoming them into our daily routines and social activities. You’re welcome to join us when we explore Ballenstedt and its beautiful surroundings, but of course, you’re just as free to head out on your own.
  
  We want our guests to feel at home and make sure you have everything you need during your stay. We provide plenty of food, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks. We usually plan the shopping list together so that everyone feels included and enjoys the meals.
  
  Most importantly, we believe that a great Workaway experience is about more than just work. It's about sharing life, having fun together, exchanging cultures, and creating memories that last long after your stay in Ballenstedt.

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  Aide

  We would love some help with
  - Gardening
  - Painting
  - And more ...

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Hollandais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  Français: Débutant
  Italien: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
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  Hébergement

  We live in the train station itself, how unique is that?
  
  The station building is our home, and during your stay it will be your home too. We have a spacious living room and a large kitchen where we spend a lot of time together, but the building is big enough that you'll always be able to find a quiet corner to relax, whether you prefer to socialize or enjoy some time on your own.
  
  We sleep in the basement level, where there are three bedrooms. Two of these are available for Workawayers or for visiting family and friends. The bedrooms are simple and basic, but the beds are excellent, so getting a good night's sleep shouldn't be a problem!
  
  The bathroom is shared and includes a shower and toilet.

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  Autres infos...

  We have a passenger van for 8 people, so after work we can arrange nice trips to explore the natural and cultural richness of the area. Unfortunately, there is no longer a railroad line in front of our station, but there is a bus station right next to our building, with good bus connections to the various places around Ballenstedt. Train stations are located in Quedlinburg, Aschersleben and Hoym-Nachterstedt.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We can host Digital Nomads. There is plenty of space to work online. We have stable and fast (500Mbits) Internet.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have garden space around the station building. The bathroom with shower and toilet is in the station building.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

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