It all began with a meeting. A dream ignited between strangers who soon became guardians of a shared vision: to live together in a way that’s simple, grounded, and real.

The year was 2019, at a retreat in Sklenářka. People from different walks of life gathered, united by a longing to return to the Earth. And that’s where the spark caught.

Lucie, the owner of a plot of land in Vrábsko, invited them to visit. The place—tucked between hills, ponds full of herons, muddy footpaths, and ancient oaks—spoke to them. And they listened. That’s where they chose to plant new roots.

A growing community

Today, Vrábsko is a living, evolving reality. Around 15 adults and several children call the village home. It’s not a commune, and it’s not a closed project. It’s a moving organism, a human-scale laboratory where coexistence, cooperation, and interdependence are tested every single day.

Twelve people form the founding core, active since 2021. They’re artisans, teachers, builders, therapists. Some left the city behind. Others brought old crafts with them. All are seeking balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility.

The land as teacher

Here, permaculture is more than an agricultural technique—it’s a way of seeing, listening, living.

The gardens aren’t neat rows of vegetables. They’re tiny symbiotic ecosystems: fruit trees, wild herbs, berries, flowers, insects. A food forest in the making, designed to revive the soil and bring autonomy to the community.

Water is harvested, filtered, and used with care. Waste becomes compost. The seasons set the pace, not the deadlines. They grow what’s needed, share the surplus, and preserve with ancient methods. Every day becomes a dialogue with Nature. A silent alliance between humans and the living world.

An ecosystem of projects

The beauty of Vrábsko is that it’s not one single idea. It’s a constellation of interwoven dreams.

Some community members are dedicated to fermentation—making kombucha, kimchi, kefir. Hynek’s Ferments and Kombuchaman have become small local brands, born from passion and grown through shared hands. These aren’t just products—they’re living food, handcrafted with intention, sold at markets and shared within the community.

Then there’s FruityDay, creating simple, nutrient-dense snacks from dried fruits and seeds. Inspired by raw food and natural vitality.

Šivá collects discarded textiles and transforms them into new treasures—hand-sewn clothes, bags, accessories. A celebration of creative reuse, bringing beauty back to what others throw away.

And then there’s Obydlo—perhaps the most visible expression of the village: small, mobile tiny houses, built by hand with wood and vision. Some are homes for the villagers, others are sold or brought to other projects. Each one spreads a piece of Vrábsko’s dream beyond its borders.

Daily life and shared rhythms

The community kitchen is one of the village’s beating hearts. Meals are prepared using what the season offers. It’s a space for laughter, for choices, for connection. Meals are often shared—but never mandatory. Freedom and cooperation go hand in hand.

Festivals follow the natural cycle: equinoxes, solstices, full moons. Around the fire, people sing, dance, and listen. Some practice meditation, others bring holistic movement—dance, yoga, massage.

There’s no fixed calendar in Vrábsko, but a living rhythm that adapts to people’s needs, the energy of the moment, and who shows up. Weekly workshops and events are open to both villagers and visitors.

Self-sufficiency at Vrábsko

Most structures in the village are the result of self-building. No cement. No architects. Just wood, straw, clay, and a lot of intuition. Yurts host retreats and gatherings. Craft studios are spaces to create, repair, and imagine. Every corner tells a story. Every detail was shaped with love, together.

Self-sufficiency here goes far beyond food or energy—it’s also deeply cultural. It’s the desire to step away from a system that takes more than it gives, that isolates, that rushes.

It means imagining a new world, where value is measured not in money, but in relationships, skills, and shared time. In Vrábsko, people are building new collective narratives—learning to pass on knowledge, to create beauty with what they have, to live with less without feeling like they have less.

They’re slowly turning the tide. One step at a time, with no rush—but with no pause either.

Horizontal learning

Many members of Vrábsko are also educators. They offer courses, workshops, mentoring. The village is active in European programs like ESC and Erasmus+, hosting volunteers from across the continent. Young people stay for weeks or months, helping with maintenance, learning by doing, and sharing along the way.

Learning here is horizontal. No one teaches from a pedestal. Everyone learns. Everyone teaches. It’s a school of life, where growth comes from doing, failing, and trying again—together.

A vision in progress

The dream of Spoluzemě Vrábsko is clear: to become a stable community of at least 30 people, where everyone can bring their gifts and find their place. A place where personal growth is central, alongside deep respect for the Earth.

There’s no dogma. No rigidity. Just openness. To new ideas, new people, new forms.

It’s a place where you can plant a seed and stay. Or leave, carrying a new perspective—and trusting someone else will harvest the fruit, maybe even for you.

How to take part

If the vision resonates with you, you’re welcome to reach out. Becoming part of the community is a gentle process. It might begin with a visit or a short-term volunteer stay.

If you want to learn by doing, you can join educational projects. If you want to build your own tiny house, you can do it here, side by side with others.

If you bring creativity, care, awareness, and authenticity—you’re welcome.

In a Nutshell

Spoluzemě Vrábsko is an emerging ecovillage in the heart of southern Bohemia. A growing human experiment, now home to about 15 people, cultivating food, dreams, real connections, and alternative systems.

It’s a place where the Earth is healing—and people are too. A refuge not for those running away, but for those returning. To simplicity. To truth. To the tangible possibility of living life differently.