Once upon a time there was a small village in Germany, Lower Saxony. In 1985 a group of friends settled there with the dream of establishing a community in the countryside. A place where people from all corners of the world could meet and build a way of living together based on healthy agriculture and genuine friendship — a way of life that points toward the future. In those first years so much happened: building, experimenting, gains and losses, both outside and on the inside.

At the latest when around 2011 the “Young Wild Ones” really got going, the question arose: Why not international? While Hannah, Anton, Malte B., Jakob, Klara, Antonia, Daniel & Co. were creating the gardens or building up the farm, they wondered what other people their age might be doing around the world at that very moment, whether they had the same questions about life, love, and meaning. One thing led to another, and on February 17, 2016 our first volunteer helper appeared in our little village! And Martino, a young man from the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, was followed in that same year by dozens of international helpers who came to actively support Michaelshof in exchange for board and lodging.

Exciting! How did that come about?
It actually started back when I stayed in Sammatz after my volunteering time and took over the shop at the Ark Farm. I had fallen in love with working in the shop and the shopkeeper position was open. So suddenly I got the opportunity to try myself out as a shop manager and take care of the organic assortment for the community and our visitors. I really enjoyed that. As it often goes with us, other professional challenges followed — like the market wagon, the finance department, and working with the kids in our children and youth home.

At the end of March, after a year of construction, we’re opening the new large organic market in the village center. This time the position of project manager was open, which is really urgently needed to put together the new assortment and take care of the final details — and I was really excited to dive back into the topic! Here we are 😄

What makes you the perfect shop boss?
I love organic and I love food! I’ve always believed that food is not a side issue but kind of a foundation for all of us. That’s why I’m also incredibly happy that the new organic market is three times as big as our current one, which gives us so many possibilities — not only with a diverse range of organic foods but also with non-food items for everyday life.

And what else will the new market offer?
Well, besides the size, which is of course the most important thing and allows us to offer shopping carts to our customers from now on, the direct proximity to the café is also super practical.
It’s important to me that every customer has a pleasant and exciting shopping experience in our organic market. Of course our ultra-good own products play a big role — bread, cheese, meat, but also preserves, tea, and cosmetics will have their prominent place in the market. Being able to sell our own products and complement them with a top organic assortment from our carefully selected suppliers makes me happy. That way the weekly shopping becomes an experience!

And what will happen to the old farm shop?
As always there are lots of ideas, but one thing is certain: you, our visitors, will definitely benefit from it in the future. Stay curious!

Then we wish you lots of fun and great success with the opening!
Thank you! Now let’s keep our fingers crossed that all delivery times are met, then this thing will run smoothly. See you soon in the new organic market at Michaelshof!

Let’s imagine throwing many pebbles into the water. Each pebble is a person; each has a close circle of friends, a wider one, and perhaps a rather distant one. In this way our community of around 300 people consists of many small groups of friends that overlap like the concentric circles created by pebbles in water. Everyone is somehow connected with one another and shares the basic conviction of how enriching such a life in a community can be. Children and young people with disabilities experience inclusion here as a natural part of life. They play with all the children on site, have contact with the many students who work here for internships, and so on. Inclusion as something normal — as it makes sense and as it should be.

Something is always in motion. Boredom is rare. There is hardly much time for watching TV or playing on the phone. If the frustration level is occasionally exceeded, there are certainly exceptions here as well 😊. And of course there are problems and crises as everywhere else — perhaps even more so where so many people, all so different and coming from such different directions, come together.

Yet one might think of Goethe’s fairy tale where it says: “And what is more valuable than gold? Conversation.” Because conversation plays an important role at Michaelshof. Only through conversation can the individual develop; only through conversation can doors open that might otherwise remain closed for a long time — or forever. Friendships arise: sometimes simply feeling understood is already a great treasure. Of course this also requires the other person who understands. Life itself is the best exercise for this. And if it doesn’t work the first time… patience, tolerance, and time — then much becomes possible.

At Michaelshof there are just as many meat lovers as there are vegetarians and vegans. Everyone simply has their needs and their reasons. All of them are understandable. What is needed is tolerance, just as everywhere else. We do not believe that the fate of the world is decided at the dining table. Nor by how a person is sexually oriented, what their political convictions are, or what their cultural background may be. What matters alone, as the saying goes, is whether one’s heart is in the right place.

At the same time Michaelshof clearly stands in the tradition of Central European values, such as Christian festivals and many other things. Whoever comes here knows that this forms the framework of life at Michaelshof. Yet we gladly and enthusiastically embrace the cultural values that come to us from all over the world and that enrich and complement our way of life everywhere.

You can perhaps see why community appears to us as a meaningful form of life. We like to see ourselves as a model project that can inspire other people elsewhere — and in different ways — to found similar projects. We consider our idea of a modern village to be quite viable for the future. Everywhere today there is a visible need for new social forms and new forms of cooperation. Why not try it this way for a change? It may be unusual, but it is certainly fruitful.

In the next newsletter we want to take a closer look at how everyone can begin to live a little community within themselves and in their own surroundings. Because common ground exists everywhere — sometimes more than one might think.

Has anyone missed us yet? – Yes, we also found the past two months without the delicious coffee, the homemade cakes, the cool drinks, the ice cream, and the big savory menu of treats quite tough. As soon as the sun comes out, our hotline starts ringing with the question of whether the café is already open. At the moment we are still in winter break and preparing for the new season, but…

During a visit to the Ark Farm you can currently watch the adorable baby animals taking their first steps. In our barns the little ones run around to their heart’s content and explore their new home.

When it comes to veggies, we at Michaelshof are spoiled with our own Demeter vegetables all summer long. But where do the vitamins come from in winter, and how can we make use of supposed “kitchen waste,” meaning vegetable leftovers, so that they don’t just become compost but turn into digestible, stomach-friendly power food?

And now it’s your turn! Anyone who has always wanted to learn how fermentation works, which different methods exist, and how to make good sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, vinegar and much more can sign up for one of our fermentation courses in 2026:

• Sunday, April 19 from 11.00 til 17.00
• Sunday, July 26 from 11.00 til 17.00
• Sunday, August 30 from 11.00 til 17.00

When Cologne and Rio celebrate Carnival, of course the celebration at our special education school in the neighboring village of Wietzetze, the Selma Lagerlöf School, cannot be missing. The kids from grades 1–9, mostly from our child and youth welfare facility but also from the region, had already been thinking about their costumes weeks in advance.

This year’s theme: Marketplace! The cheerful festivities took place between colorful house backdrops that the craft group had designed beforehand. The mayor (Gisela, our school director) opened the 1,000-year celebration of the carnival city, and everyone was allowed to sign the golden book of the city — princesses, the rich as well as Robin Hood, the market people, the father of Pippi Longstocking, the bakers, the animals and many more.

Afterwards the program included the self-written song of the music group, in which all students and all teachers were given their own verses, and the sketches performed by the theater group. After the successful celebration the colorful market life began! At the various stalls there were all kinds of things to try — filled rolls, delicious cake, or the chocolate fountain where the fresh fruits from the market could be dipped directly. In the game hall you could try your luck at roulette, take part in the car race, or visit the disco next door.

All the villagers went home happily entertained. A memorable day!

• Educator for our child and youth home “Peronnik”
• Teacher for our Selma Lagerlöf School in Wietzetze
• Garden instructor
• Garden and landscape builder
• Ornamental plant gardener
• Gardener for trees, shrubs & lawn care
• Construction worker
• Pharmacist
• Printer & laminator
• Baker

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