Can Masdeu / Barcelona
Camí Sant Llàtzer, 12, Nou Barris, 08035 Barcelona
The access to the property is not far from exit 3 of the Ronda de Dalt / B-20. The camí begins as a junction on the road "Ctra. Alta de les Roquetes", where it is possible to park at the roadside. A chain blocks the way for cars; the 10-minute walk uphill to the Vall de Can Masdeu begins here. It is located in the "Parc Natural de Collserola" nature park, a fantastic hilly landscape with many hiking trails, from which you often have impressive views of Barcelona. Behind the Can Masdeu social, ecological and housing project is located the former Sant Pau hospital, which is cordoned off and guarded by two aggressive dogs. It is now probably only used as a caretaker's "flat" and a warehouse.
Can Masdeu is an old farmhouse from the 17th century, situated on the stream of the same name. The grounds cover a total of 400,000 square metres of woodland.
Can Masdeu has been a squatted space since 2001. Back then, a dozen activists decided to take over the Sant Pau military hospital, which belonged to the hospital of the same name but had been empty for more than fifty years. The aim was to prevent plans to convert the building into luxury flats. In April 2002, more than a hundred police officers attempted to evict the squatters, who resisted non-violently for three days, including chaining themselves to parts of the building.
The owner of the facility, Sant Pau Hospital, finally decided to refrain from any further eviction initiatives. Nevertheless, the possibility of eviction has not been completely banished... Today, around ten permanent members plus guests live there. Both the permanent residents and the guests pay a contribution of 100 euros per month. The rest of the facility's operating costs are covered by organising parties, crowdfunding or organic catering.
From the very beginning, the residents of the building and the surrounding grounds have been committed not only to building an eco-community, but also to creating a social centre and community gardens to foster relationships with the neighbourhood and the rest of the city. The social centre "Punto de Interacción de Collserola" organises weekly workshops in music, arts and crafts, DIY, theatre and dance and hosts gatherings of other social and ecological movements such as Extinction Rebellion or Ecologistes en Acciò, as well as concerts, shows, film and documentary screenings. Around one hundred young people, pensioners and families look after the community gardens, which are divided into 35 plots and grow fruit and vegetables using agroecological methods.
The whole project has five pillars: the eco-community, the community centre, the community gardens, the Regenerades participatory gardens and the Casa dels Futurs (House of the Future). Can Masdeu opens its doors to everyone almost every Sunday. The open days include workshops, talks, demonstrations, concerts and performances, all of which are free and offered by a variety of workshop leaders, activists and artists. And you can buy organic food and homemade products from artisans.
You can support Can Masdeu by helping out, but you can also rent space for your own workshops or concerts.
I found all the activities organised there very impressive. I really like the holistic approach. For example, a lot of emphasis is placed on a feminist attitude, in that "care work", for example, is seen as important work of equal value that is shared by everyone.

https://canmasdeu.net , https://www.facebook.com/people/Can-Masdeu/100007878404840/ 

41°26'44.0"N 2°09'27.0"E 

La Chalmeta / Barcelona

Llar Jove - Marina del Prat Vermell SCCL
Micaela Chalmeta 7-9
Ulldecona 24-26-28
Barrio de la Marina del Prat Vermell SCCL
08038 Barcelona

I visited this relatively new cooperative in the Montjuïc district in 2023, bevause a friend of a friend lives there with her family. They have a flat of around 70 m² with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms and a great balcony.

There are various communal areas available for the 67 people (52 adults and 15 children) who live there in 32 residential units: there is a nice large co-working area with eight desks, a laundry room, a communal kitchen and a multifunctional room. If you want, you can create raised vegetables and from the roof of the seven-storey building you have a fantastic view of the surrounding area. There is a shop on the ground floor of the building that sells the products of a farming cooperative (thet is where the picture was taken).

The issue of sustainability is present in many places: the La Chalmeta project was planned using organic building criteria, which means that in addition to ecological sustainability, the vital needs of the people who will live in the building were also taken into account. The strategies are diverse: the spatial design is very flexible and can adapt to the different needs of the users over the course of their lives; synthetic materials are avoided and natural materials such as lime, ceramics or wood are used instead; biocompatible installations are designed to minimise possible pollutants. Residents are offered various training courses on the use and maintenance of the building to teach healthy living habits: how to ventilate, how to save energy depending on the type of light bulbs, tips on the correct use of technology or guidelines for cleaning, etc.

The city of Barcelona provided the land for social housing. La Chalmeta is the result of a competition organised by Barcelona City Council in 2017 for housing cooperatives, which was won by Llar Jove. They then looked for potential tenants. Preference was given to families with children. The neighbourhood is relatively quiet, although a few streets away it's still quite rough. The neighbourhood is well connected to the city centre by public transport.

As is usual in a co-operative, the individual parties had to purchase a share and are therefore co-owners of the property. However, the rent is then much lower than usual in Barcelona. This paid-up share can be inherited, given away or even returned, albeit with a certain time limit. If you are interested in a flat there, you can register on a waiting list.

You can find out how to apply and qualify for being part of the cooperative on their website: https://lachalmeta.coop/persones.php

Cal Vidal, s/n 08692 Puig-reig (Bcn)

Vidàlia is an ecovillage. It is located in the old industrial mill town of Cal Vidal in the municipality of Puig-reig (Catalonia, Spain).
An ecovillage is a conscious small community that strives for social, environmental and economic sustainability. Its principles are based on respect for nature, the use of renewable energy, food and economic sustainability, recycling and the use of ecological building materials based on bio-construction. There are currently a growing number of ecovillages and conscious communities in Catalonia, for example: La Sequoia, Cal Cases, Irehom, Can Masdeu, Calafou and Mas les vinyes.

We visited Vidalia on 28 July 2024, the day of the "Festa mayor" with a tortilla competition, an exhibition of historical photos, a communal meal, children's entertainment and much more.

The region is called Berguedà. The river El Llobregat (which flows into the sea near Barcelona, El Prat de Llobregat) flows through it. Numerous textile factories were built on its banks, such as Cal Vidal. Cal Vidal is located in the municipality of Puig-Reig and was founded around 1900. Although the industrial revolution began in Barcelona, its development and consolidation mainly took place in the Catalan hinterland. These factories needed water and hydroelectric power and often settled where there had already been former flour mills.

Due to the remoteness and poor transport links of the time, residential and service neighbourhoods were built around the factories, where workers could satisfy all their needs without having to leave the premises. This is where they lived, worked and socialised. In other words, "everything stayed at home". Housing units were built for the people working at Cal Vidal, mostly in the style of terraced houses. In 1905, 200 people were already living there. There was also a church, a school, a kindergarten, a butcher's shop, a fish shop, a hairdresser, a small shop, a theatre, a bar and much more. The Colònia Vidal specialised in the production of high-quality fabrics. There were a total of 15 of these so-called "colònias" in the region. Textile production continued until the 1950s, after which some of the colònias became depopulated and fell into disrepair.

In the case of Cal Vidal, the Vicenc Vidal Foundation took over the site in 1951 and turned it into a diocesan school. Here, young people were offered vocal training, culture, sport and other leisure activities with a Christian perspective. The factory was closed in 1980 when the crisis in the textile industry broke out, and in 1995 the owners decided to set up the museum and open the facilities to the public to show first-hand what life was like in the textile colonies, which played a key role in the industrialisation of Catalan society. To date, more than 250,000 visitors have visited the museum.

Today, 23 adults plus 7 children live on the site. Vidalia was founded in 2017. The legal structure is a housing cooperative and a 75-year contract with the owner company Masoveria Urbana. The residents want the community to continue to grow. Anyone interested in becoming a full member of the community has to go through a process. As a rule, this starts with participation during the various "open days". This is followed by a one-month trial period. After this, both the prospective member and the community make a decision. A longer stay can then begin. The most important questions about this topic are summarised here by the Vidalia community: https://www.vidalia.coop/faq-english/ 

The general website is: https://www.vidalia.coop/home/ 

More about the history of the Colònias (as well as photos) can be found on the Spanish-language website: https://www.barcelonaenhorasdeoficina.com/cal-vidal-ultima-colonia-textil-bergueda/ 

To the museum: https://www.museucoloniavidal.org 

The picture was taken in front of the theatre.

Coordinates of Cal Vidal 41°56’39.6″N 1°52’51.2″E – 41.944330, 1.880889.

In my opinion, the Ecovila Amat project is only for real adventurers and drop-outs... From the nearest car park, it's a 30-minute walk uphill to the site (if the car park is full, you have to park another 20 minutes further downhill on foot). However, the caretaker, Dídac, can drive his jeep up the bumpy track to carry luggage and materials.

The path leads through shady forest along the course of a river. There are always opportunities to take a dip in the pools.

Camps for youth groups, for example, are organised at the Ecovila Amat site. They camp there. There is a house with a double room, a lounge, wood-burning stove, kitchen, showers and toilets. There are also some permanent residents who live in tents on the large, hilly site in the forest. Most of the spacious tents are built on a platform and are designed for longer stays. The view is always spectacular; mostly of the surrounding mountains, sometimes even of a waterfall high above.

Since 2023, you can register and help with building projects or with the animals. You will find a summary on their own website: 

Summary in English
The Ecovillage Amat is a new proposal of cooperative housing and work, in la Garrotxa, a region of the Pre Pirinees in Catalonia. A vulcanic region with hundreds of hectares of preserved and comunal forests, and lot of history, at 1h30 from Barcelona. Where the first worker union was created in 1440, el Sindicat Remença, and where that peasants struggle led to the end of feudalism in Catalunya in 1480. -1 century before England and 3 centuries before France.
The Ecovillage will try to offer 5 to 10 living spaces for permanent inhabitants, and other spaces for visitors and friends. We will also try to create work cooperatives in agroflorestry, permaculture, free education, wood work, artistic and eco-academic events and ecologic hostelling, in order to be fully sustainable in the economic level, both individually and collectively.
Our economy combines, as in the Catalan EcoNetworks (EcoXarxes) and Catalan Integral Cooperative, 5 economic spaces: comunitarian economy; barter economy; local currency, FairCoin -p2p criptocurrency-, and Euros economy, in cooperativism and fair trade ways. Everybody is welcome to join and share some days or weeks with us, contributing with work, ideas, art, local currency or regular money.

The land, with 70 hectares, was bought in 2015. The quotes of those willing to live permanently in the Ecovillage, will allow the process of full collectivization of the land to take place. And will offer the Ecovillage the economic means for rebuilding the old houses. At that time (Winter 2019) we just finished rebuilding the first house, with 2 rooms.
The project is inspired by eco libertarian ideas, hippism, indigenism, ecumenism and pacifism. Tolstoy, Dylan, Lennon, Gandhi… We work with assemblee and consensus, and with work and housing cooperative in a legal level.
you can write us at ecovilamat@riseup.net 
and find us in facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076884172325635/?fref=ts 

Becoming part of the Ecovillage and visiting us
To become a permanent inhabitant of the Ecovillage, a co-owner of the land and have the right of use of a personal, familiar or group appartment, families have to satisfy a Cooperative Share with monthly quotes. This amount is calculated dividing the total cost of the project by the families that will be able to host as permanent inhabitants.
The ownership of the 70 ha of land begins as a private property with the desire of becoming a collectivized ownership through a Housing Cooperative, that will own the land and houses when the permanent inhabitants complete their share of the cost of buying the land and rebuilding.
In addition, temporal inhabitants can share appartments for a fraction of that cost, work and weight in the decisions.
And all visitors and friends are welcome, and can pay their stay with work, local currencies and euros at affordable prices and free share of all the knowledge created in the ecovillage.
Come and visit us, the place is a paradise! at 1h30 from Barcelona up pyrinees!
Contact us at ecovilamat@riseup.net 

In the middle of the small town of Pontós lies a former monastery, which is now inhabited by a colourful mix of people. The majority are artists of various ages, and many children also live here. To get an idea of the grounds and the great atmosphere, the cultural events that take place there from time to time are particularly worthwhile. I was there for a poetry festival in 2023 and for the "Teatre Humor, Creps i Pensament critic" on 4 May 2024 (the photo is taken from this event).

The interlocking buildings form a boundary to the town on the outside. Inside, there is a beautiful square from which you can access a garden area, a semi-derelict atrium and other buildings. There is also a bar open during events where you can get drinks.

From their own website: MUTTE CULTURAL is an association that is directly linked to its place of activity: the monastery of Pontós. An inspiring place between nature and village life, between the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava, full of history and the passage of time.
The property, which was originally just a 16th century farmhouse, was extended in 1900 to become a Marist seminary and then converted into a colony house. To this day, it has housed generations of Pontos, people from Emporda and people from everywhere within its walls. They have also recently opened to the public one of the most avant-garde festivals in Catalonia (the Mapa), which still leaves its mark on its landscape today
Open on the first weekends of the month and on other special dates from April to November. Closed December, January and February. If you would like to receive information via Whatsapp, you can add the following contact and write to them to subscribe to the mailing list

+34 (0) 623 99 06 81
Informantion for the Events:
https://www.instagram.com/mutte_cultural/?hl=de 

http://www.muttecultural.org

Tamera / Portugal

I visited Tamera in September 2020. I had been dreaming about it for a long time. Because what I had heard about Tamera inspired me: a place where more than 100 people of different generations and countries live together, where seminars are organised, a community that is almost self-sufficient and a place for peace and love development.

What particularly impressed me during my visit was the history of today's lake. When the community arrived there, there was hardly any water. An Austrian water engineer advised the community and so they created a lake in a suitable place in the otherwise quite dry area, which is now the water supply. It is also very impressive that the canteen kitchen for the seminars is run entirely on alternative energies. The toilet facilities are organic composting plants and the waste water is treated in their own wetlands.

They describe themselves as follows: “The project, which began … with a small group, has now developed into a community of around 160 people and a growing international network.”. Together they are working to build decentralised and independent models for a post-capitalist society.

Their vision is: “We believe in the possibility of a future without war and love without jealousy. We work for the realisation of a vision, Terra Nova, in which we build healing biotopes as research centres and models for a new planetary culture based on a strong ethical foundation.”

This year, Tamera is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Today there are:
• Various types of accommodation for the permanent community members of Tamera: houses, cabins, yurts, mobile homes, etc.
• The Tent Hall – 4 seminar rooms and dormitories for sleeping
• Guest welcome center
• Campus kitchen
• Guest House
• Pilgrim huts
• Health clinic
• Herbal house
• Swimming lake
• a textile workshop with recycling and creative upcycling of clothing and fabrics.

They have around 330 acres of land, with many buildings, gardens, roads, a children’s school and an education campus. The Aula is the largest straw bale building on the Iberian Peninsula and the focal point for community gatherings and our Sunday matinees. 20kW photovoltaic plant directly supplies Tamera with power, and the surplus is harvested and stored.

How can you know Tamera / take part in the community?
The guest season usually runs from mid-April to mid-November. You can take part in introductory weeks or in-depth courses or do an internship. You can also attend an event. The calendar of events can be found here...

https://www.tamera.org/event-calendar/ 

Although I had decided at the time that it wasn't the right place for me to live: I am very connected to Tamera, e.g. I am part of the new peace project ‘Women in White’. The movement, which was jointly initiated by Aida Al-Shibli (Tamera) and Miki Kashtan (NGL), stands for the unconditional search for non-violent solutions: “End war - live peace. No tolerance towards any form of violence.” One focus: to advocate an immediate end to all violence in Israel and Palestine and to campaign against the oppression and atrocities that people are experiencing today. Here is a quote from the statement from Sabine Lichtenfels, one of Tameras founders: ‘We are in the process of awakening from our unconscious collective traumatic film of several thousand years of war history, a horror film that currently dominates war events on this earth and leads to ever greater human catastrophes. If we saw with an open heart what is happening right now in Gaza and Israel, we would instantly forget all our habits if we knew how to end the war. We are ready to change our own lives to find a way to help. As long as we humans believe that we can end wars by killing our enemies, all wars will continue.’

Can Traver / Besalú

Can Traver is the largest farmhouse in the area around Besalú. The entire complex has been renovated in a very authentic way. There are spacious interiors, dining rooms and rooms with bathrooms, as well as outdoor spaces with swimming pool, terrace, vegetable garden, forest, countryside, orchard. There is even a small chapel.

It is not a community, as they are actually presented here in this blog, but the ensemble is run by a family. However, there are always events organised here where you can meet like-minded people.

It is a spiritual place, so the events are for example: Yoga, dance or meditation retreats, forest bathing, seminars on femininity, cookery classes, painting or writing courses. I was at Can Traver as part of a Naad Yoga event.
The beautiful complex can accommodate up to 60 people. The rooms are simple, comfortable and cosy, with single beds, mostly in shared rooms.

Also available for individual stays. More information : 

https://www.cantraverdebesalu.com/es/ 

Escapada rural / Osor / La Selva