Are you interested in Zaježka? Strawbale houses? Permaculture? A school managed by parents? Life in biggest Slovak alternative community? During one day excursion you can get answers to all your questions. You will see various interesting places, enter houses, meet local people. Only once a year we offer a public excursion in english, so use this opportunity to get inspiration and information if you are nearby. The tour is guided by Mirec Kašiak, who lives and works on various projects in Zaježova since 1996. He will not only lead you through interesting places here, but he will also describe development of Zaježka Ecovillage in past 25 years.
The tour starts in Educational Centre - in a beautiful area designed to demonstrate sustainable lifestyle and to host educational activities. We will meet in its tea restaurant. While enjoying good tea or coffee in an amazing strawbale structure, you will listen to initial presentation of Zaježka - its history and development. You can also buy some local products or souvenirs there.
We will move outside to see rest of the Educational Centre and its surroundings after half an hour in the tea restaurant. You will see examples of various sustainable technologies, permaculture design, artistic works. Mirec will introduce you also related projects of NGO Zivica (which manages the centre) - dark therapy room, Socrates Institute etc. The visit of the Educational centre will be ended in front of renovated traditional "stone wall and straw roof" house.
Later we will use cars to move into the central part of Zaježová (5 minutes of ride). Mirec will tell you more about the broader area and local history, former village Zaježová and projects which join original inhabitants and newcomers. We will visit community centre to show you local "Food Bank" (or common food storage) - an original idea which unites and helps to more than 70 families. We will talk also about chidren and their life here in Zaježka community school. The school is interesting not only by its small size and educational approach, but also by the way how it is managed by parents of its pupils.
After visiting centre of Zaježová will use our cars again to move into the other part of the valley called Podsekier. You will enter one of the first strawbale houses in Slovakia. It is a home of Mirec (the tour guide) and his family. While eating a snack (bread with local cheese and vegetables), Mirec will tell you not only about his house, but also about natural building in general.
Leaving our cars on Podsekier we will walk 20 minutes uphill to locality named Sekier. It is a base for young international volunteers who come here to enjoy simple lifestyle and learn various skills. They are living in a small community managing educational farm. Apart from beautiful landscape and views you will see here also several examples of permaculture or natural building including loadbearing strawbale house, or wooden cottage which is registered as Slovak cultural heritage.
Eco-community Sekier is the last venue of the excurions. We will walk from there back to Podsekier and say good bye to each other. Whole programme will last approximately 6 hours. We will mention also many other topics not described here and you will have a space to ask anything you are interested in.
If you are interested to come, register, please. Capacity is limited. www.zajezka.sk/sk/users/mirec-ka%C5%A1iak">http://www.zajezka.sk/sk/users/mirec-ka%C5%A1iak">Click here to see contact info. If you need accommodation or Saturday lunch in Zaježová or its surroundings, let us know and we will try to help you to arrange it.
We enjoy meeting you in Zaježová!