Prinzhöfte

I arranged a carshare to reach Prinzhöfte, as I had many times before in my travels around Germany. The guy picked me up in Herford and, as per my request, let me out in a parking place in the middle of nowhere: “Are you sure this the right place?” – “yes, no problem”.

As he drove off and I stood alone in the growing dusk, I had to echo his uncertainty – would Susanne from Prinzhöfte come and pick me up, as arranged?

I shouldn’t have worried – a few minutes later she was there and I was whisked off to the friendly environs of a shared housing project near the city of Bremen. Years ago, they founded a school based on Freinet principles here. The school was so successful, it eventually “moved out” and is now established in the nearby town of Bassum. At the Prinzhöfte site, based around an old farmhouse, there is still a kids nursery, houseshare project and much more.

It was nice to be somewhere somewhat similar to Wiston Lodge, with lots of different people and family constellations all living together. I helped out in the garden (as usual), helped Susanne with some of her work as a landscape gardener and managed to fit in a couple of cycle tours too.

Oh, and Detlef regularly takes his goats on a walk, and I went along too.

On the map