Ground Zero! Pictures and updates from the eco village project

Here is some progress on our eco village project on Bornholm, Denmark!

if you want to learn more about the project, visit our Patreon Page with general information and progress

I just found a book written about the history of the place we just bought! It is fun to see the old pictures and know what has been going on in the now very abandoned buildings.
It was also great to learn that in the '40s this was the home of about 80 people (teachers and students) who were self sufficient in food and firewood to heat all the buildings!
So it is definitely possible!
It actually looks really cosy on those pictures too!

"The Culture Pearl in the Forest" with a picture from the school, probably from around 2004 when the book was written. That building to the right is unfortunately demolished now. They started tearing down the place and started with the smaller (unfortunately more solid looking!) buildings and left the big ones

Hopefully we can bring it back and even more!

Picture from now. The picture on the book is taken a bit further down, where you see the "stair formation" roofs - with the house and hedges (and windows!) missing

We are still in the process of managing paperwork, economics and all the lawful stuff, until we will be taking over the place the 15th of December.

As mentioned before, the place is a mess now. All windows and doors are missing or broken. Somewhere there is water in the basement and somewhere else there is mold in the walls.

Our plan is to spend the winter with some meetings, asking the council for permissions to build and live there, finding and connecting the core group and laying down some visions and ideals for the project!

We are also going to start cleaning up! And then hopefully we will start moving out there in the spring in some temporary houses, campers, wagons, yurts, tents - when we can safely connect the water and electricity!
From there we will start building up the place, probably starting with the most necessary facilities for the communal spaces (kitchen, toilets and some inside gathering space)

We will probably also have to make some money during the winter, since we still have to pay back the money for the land and get some money for rebuilding!

This is a very mystic construction with water and tubes, that I still haven't figured out what is..! It doesn't say anything about it on the drawings.. Could it be the waste water cleaning system!?

Almost all of the big building is build on "stilts", and you can look in underneath the buildings, where it looks like this.. Looks fairly dry and okay, but I don't know if it is a great kind of construction style.. I read in the book that it was build so it could be easily dismantled and put up elsewhere, I guess that's why it is build like this

This is the only part of the big building made in bricks instead of wood. It also has a solid fundament and basement.. unfortunately it's full of water..

This part has been used as a ceramics workshops. There is still moulds and a few creations left, though most have been smashed!

It is really a shame that this place has just been open for people to come and smash whatever they could find! Now I understand why they (normally) close off empty buildings. I always thought it was a stupid and that squatters did a good job occupying and using unused spaces - but when people just come to destroy, it's another matter..!

the mandatory "smashed mirror selfie"

I was told that when the school closed they sold and gave off all equipment and the place was literally ripped! The windows was given away to some guy, if he promised to close off the holes after him. So many places where the windows are gone they are actually closed off with wood and somewhere fabric. the remaining windows has been offer for shooting games it seems

At least this pretty nice table remains..!

Kids toilets! Kind of cute..! Maybe it's possible to collect one whole from the two..!😂

This nice little hangout spot could maybe be rebuild too..?

There's a little lake in the back. Unfortunately a little small for fish.. But perfect for keeping ducks I imagine! 😁 There is already a little house next to the lake that looks like it has been used for animals..:

But it needs a loving hand too...!

I read that this space had been used for plant nursery

This would be the porch of what have been, and I imagine will be, the big communal space next to the big kitchen

From inside

And that was it!
Thank you for following our project!

If you want to help us out and follow the progress, please consider donating to the project on Patreon 💖
And if you would like to be a part of the place and help creating an eco village in the forest, write us an email on [email protected] - we are looking for people to join the dream!

Thank you for stopping by! <3

@frejafri

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