At present 100 adults and 40 children of all ages live together in different households: shared flats, apartments and converted construction trailers. Most households have their own infrastructure. For communal life and activities the communal buildings offer space: for shared meals, celebrations, meetings, dancing, movie screenings, talking rounds, mediations and just face-to-faces.

Allowing Diversity

We don’t just live one lifestyle or philosophy: Sieben Linden is a community built of different communities. The residents carry out their common philosophy of life in so called Neighborhoods and shared living units. This philosophy is revealed in such as building methods, economic or dietary values, family situation or in the need for quietness. The neighborhoods and/or shared living units with their own shared philosophy will be given some area on which they can build their house.

Integration of different walks of life

Living together in Sieben Linden means to learn from each other, regardless of age, social background and walks of life.

Children here enjoy an environment full of opportunities for development and with many playfellows. They visit the forest kindergarten and the local free and state schools.

For teens and other young persons, trainees and alumni of voluntary services Sieben Linden is an eclectic place of experiences and learning opportunities. People with special needs are cared for in great appreciation of their life experiences.

Attentive communication

Early we realized: for the community to be a success we need a high degree of transparency. Only when we know of each other, of what is on our minds, we can assess and appreciate what the others are doing. For showing the others who we are and to get to know each other and solve conflicts we use beside the direct face-to-face approach manifold communication techniques: Forum, Nonviolent Communication, mediation, just to name a few. Thus we can grow together in living together.

Deciding together

We make decisions with the desire to hear as many needs as possible and to bring them together and on the same time to stay capable of acting. Five elected counsels and many working groups are trusted by the community to decide in the spirit of the whole about issues like building, social affairs, finances, administration, educational work or food. At our monthly General Assembly questions are discussed, that concern everyone. Decisions are made with 2/3 majority with possibility for veto.