- Kommune Niederkaufungen
Kommune Niederkaufungen is one of the largest
intentional communities inGermany . Founded in1986 , it is anegalitarian ,left-wing , income-sharingcommune withconsensus decision-making . It is situated in a complex of former farm buildings in the historic centre of the village of Niederkaufungen (Kaufungen ), seven kilometres from the city ofKassel (Hesse ). It has grown from 15 founder members to 55 adults and nearly 20 children and teenagers (2008). It is a member of "Kommuja", the german network of political communes andegalitarian communities .Core Principles:
The Kommune Niederkaufungen has a set of five main core principles. These were formulated in a pamphlet in
1983 , the "Grundsatzpapier". They are:*
left-wing politics,
*consensus decision making ,
*a completely communal income sharing economy,
*a reduction of hierarchical and patriarchal structures,
*work incollectives .Although not explicitly listed as a core principle in the "Grundsatzpapier",
ecological ideas have been important since the start. A wish to become ecologically and economicallysustainable is expressed in the pamphlet and is seen as the sixth commune core principle. In addition, the wish to find a site near but not in a city was expressed in this "vision document", as was the further aim to reach a membership of 100 adult members.Work Collectives:
Nearly all members of the commune work in commune owned collectives. These include
*a carpentry and joinery workshop,
*a seminar centre, offering courses on communal themes, (Tagungshaus Niederkaufungen)
*a group of non-violent communication (NVC) trainers,
*a building firm, (KOMM-BAU)
*a smithing/metal workshop,
*an organic food catering firm, (Komm-Menu)
*a certified "Bioland" organic market garden with farm shop,(Gemüsebau Kollektiv "Rote Rübe")
*an EU certified organic dairy farm with cheese making, (Hof Birkengrund)
*a kindergarten, (KITA "Die Wühlmäuse")
*a solar electricity planning and consultancy team, (PEK)
*an administration and community consultancy group, (KOMM-RAT)
*a day-care centre for old people, (Tagespflege Lossetal)
*a physiotherapy practice.Each work collective decides independently on work hours, work responsibilities and holidays.
Living Groups:
Members of the commune live in eleven living groups of between four and ten people. Two groups are explicitly women's living groups. One is a men's group. The others are mixed. Each individual communard has her or his own room. Other facilities in the living group (bathrooms, common rooms, tea kitchens etc) are shared. Each living group organises its own household affairs. Most living groups have regular group meetings and some take holidays together.
Environmental Technology:
As part of the attempt to reduce the
ecological footprint of the commune, various technological measures have been taken in the last few years. These are:*
Cogeneration . Construction of a gas-fueled domestic combined heat and power (CHP) plant,
*Testing of two small log burningcentral heating stoves. At the end of the test period, installation of two large log burning central heating plants for winter heating, using left-over regionalfirewood ,
*Installation of a building integratedphotovoltaic (BIPV) plant with c. 59 kilowatt maximum output. (This is about equal to the electricity use of twelve four person households.),
*Construction of asolar panel on a residential building for warm water in summer,
*Rainwater harvesting : Two rainwatercisterns containing up to 41,000 litres, for use in washing machines, toilets and gardens,
*Various energy and water saving devices have also been installed, including energy saving light-bulbs (compact fluorescent lamps ) and domestic appliances, water saving devices on taps, showers and toilets,thermal insulation on and in buildings, replacement of single glazing withdouble glazing .ources:
All information has been taken from the "External Links" Websites listed below or from Kommune Niederkaufungen's publications.
External Links:
* [http://www.kommune-niederkaufungen.de/kommune/english.htm Kommune Niederkaufungen in English]
* [http://www.kommune-niederkaufungen.de/kommune/grundsatzpapier.htm The "Grundsatzpapier"] (German)
* [http://directory.ic.org/843/Niederkaufungen FIC Community directory entry]
* [http://wiki.ic.org/wiki/Main_Page Intentional Communities Wiki]
* [http://www.cnvc.org The Center for Nonviolent Communication]
* [http://www.usf.uni-kassel.de/glww/ University of Kassel survey about sustainability in intentional communities] (German)
* [http://www.bioland.de/bioland/biolandqualitaet/standards.html Bioland Organic Farming Association]
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