Bring nature back to Nellschütz

CODE: IBG 07

Work:

Bring nature back to an old gravel mine! You will support the transformation of an abandoned gravel pit into an ecologically valuable habitat and thus give back to nature what humans have taken from it. The Nellschütz gravel company is creating a habitat with a pond, deadwood, rocks and steep slopes on an area of 4 hectares, providing a new habitat for amphibians, insects and various plants. All these tasks are done in close cooperation with the local authorities for nature protection. The site will also be used for environmental education work with children and young people in the future.
Specific tasks will include the construction of a circular path and a green classroom, the creation of a pond, deadwood areas, etc. You will be digging, straightening, planting, sawing and nailing. There will be a wide variety of work with different levels of difficulty. If necessary, workers from the gravel company will support you with heavy machines. A landscape gardener will provide professional guidance.

Accomodation and food

The living conditions will be very basic and sustainable. You will live right next to the gravel pit, about 1km away from the small hamlet of Nellschütz. Specifically, there will be several sleeping tents with camping beds and a pavilion with tables and benches as a common room. Cooking will take place in an improvised outdoor kitchen on an open fire. Instead of a fridge, there will be a dug-out earth cellar. There is a compost toilet and solar showers. Of course there is no wifi. You can also use the showers in the public swimming pool from time to time or swim in the lake. Please bring your sleeping bag.
Your group of volunteers will be responsible for grocery shopping and cooking together. The food will be bought with the camp budget and everybody will take turns for cooking, washing the dishes and cleaning. In order to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, we encourage volunteers to reduce meat and try more sustainable dishes.

Location and leisure

Nellschütz is located in the south-west of Leipzig. The nearest larger town is Weißenfels, the meeting point on arrival. Weißenfels is worth a visit, there is a historic old town with various baroque-style buildings, a castle, but also nice shops, bars and cafés... but also many lost places due to the structural change in the region. We will try to offer various excursions. Due to the poor public transport most activities and excursions will be realised with the support of locals. They are already exited in showing you their highlights of the region.

Project hosted by

With your commitment, you will make an important contribution to the biodiversity and the transformation of former industrial brownfield sites. There are many places in the area south-west of Leipzig where gravel is extracted. This is done in open-cast mining. As soon as a site is exhausted, large desolate-looking holes are left in the landscape. In cooperation with the local nature conservation authorities and the Nellschütz gravel company, we will support the revitalisation of such a gravel pit with this volunteering project. Many people in the region are looking forward to this renaturation and to you. They will support you at work, in your free time, with food etc. and they are looking forward to meeting you.
The site will also be used for environmental education by school classes and kindergartens, so a circular route through the site and an outdoor classroom will be build.

Directions to meeting point

Meeting point will be at Weißenfels train station. Here you will be picked up by your campleaders. We will arrange several pick-up times in the afternoon and early evening. Please arrange your journey in a way that you arrive between 3 pm and 9 pm in Weißenfels. You can check for connections from anywhere to on: www.bahn.com/en.

Additional comments

The project is only suitable for people who are comfortable with living and working in the simplest of conditions and want to try out this way of living for a fortnight without too many comforts.