"countryside Explorations In Europe: Rural Travel Insurance Insights"

 "countryside Explorations In Europe: Rural Travel Insurance Insights" - Prada de la Sierra, in northwest Spain, became empty as people moved to the cities in the seventies. In recent years, a dozen or so newcomers have renovated some of its buildings. Residents won a court ruling in early June to re-recognize the village.

When one person sees nothing, another can find a promise. This was a running theme for Dutch anthropologist and photojournalist Sean Dirks as he documented the lives of the homeless in Spain's abandoned houses and slums.

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"I was working on a story about Europeans taking action to fight climate change," Dirks said. He became fascinated with ecology - sustainable cooperative communities - which inspired a major project.

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Marta Haru López, Sara Vallejo Sardon, Mauricio Noel Strubing and Yul Arguello Navarro eat breakfast in the house they built in remote Matavenero, northwest Spain. German hippies repopulated the abandoned village in the 1980s. Today it has been home to 50 permanent residents for many generations.

In 2020 and 2021, he explored seven Spanish cities that had been "repopulated", including not only residential areas but also other types of residential areas. Dirks found that residents felt the same way. "Almost everyone does it because they think things should be different in today's world," Dirks said. They believe that the city is no longer habitable.

He called his photographic project Rotopia, a portmanteau of "rural" and "utopia", exploring two questions: what makes someone pack up and move to a dilapidated village, and what problems do they face once they get there?

Hannah Brüderer is one of the founders of the Matavenero community. His son and grandson still live here. "Most people live about 10 years," he said. One of the challenges is getting money from a remote location. When their children reach school age, people tend to migrate to gain stable income and access to education. "In Matavinyo we work a lot, but no money," he said.

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The concept of a sustainable community may be centuries old, but the term "home village" is relatively new. Established more than 30 years ago, one of the oldest examples in Spain is Matavenero, a remote town in the province of León. The isolated village, which is only accessible on foot, was resettled by a group of German hippies in the late 1980s and today has around 50 permanent residents. According to the Global Ecovillage Network, a voluntary organization, Spain has about 90 ecovillages, more than most European countries.

Spain also has something that other European countries do not. "Spain is much wider than the Netherlands or Belgium," says Dirks. "Also, since the 1970s there has been a lot of migration to the coastal cities and Madrid." According to the Spanish government, 70 percent of the country's land is occupied by only 10 percent owned by the population, often referred to as España vacía, or empty Spain. Displacement is so intense that many rural villages have now become large cities .

In addition to the desire to change lifestyles, Dirks noted that people moving to these sparsely populated areas have been affected by strict lockdowns and a series of financial and housing crises during the coronavirus pandemic. "They're moving away from capitalism, consumerism — and they're looking for some kind of small-scale society," he explains. But Dirks discovered there were more than a few flaws in that idea.

Left: Felix Franco Escobar and Guillem Mateo Prat barbecue at the ruins where Franco Escobar lived in Aguinaleo. The building, which used to be an animal stable, has no windows and no doors, but he is content with his home.

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Right: Barchal, an off-grid village in the province of Valencia, has been empty for 40 years. Seven years ago, new residents settled. They organized themselves together, doing daily tasks such as preparing dinner, working in the garden and tending to the goats. Those who are self-employed donate 30 percent of their earnings to the community. This money is used to buy food that they cannot make themselves and other things.

Jürgen Pluindrich, who lives in Matavenero, was given his home more than 20 years ago by working for three weeks from another resident. Of German descent, she says she feels like she's in an urban jungle.

Invalid phone connection. Snowfall in winter. You cannot revive your own vegetable crop. Before he started reporting, Dirks expected the challenges of the countryside to be mostly found in the difficulty and freedom of being alone. "They certainly play a role," he said. But after visiting some places, I realized that most of the problems in the community are related to internal conflicts."

Bad NIMBY alcohol and gossip can destroy the spirit of the core. "You have a beautiful tree but it's overshadowing someone else's property. Or you're very happy with your berry, but if you don't prune it in time, the neighborhood kids scratch their feet. They will," he said. "Or let's say you have a love affair. It can suddenly become a big deal in such a small area."

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In the La Gerotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, in the Catalonia region, Didac Costa bought 70 hectares (170 acres), including four abandoned buildings in the settlement. (The park includes townships.) He invested his money in home renovations, but his dream is to create a community of like-minded, nature-loving residents.

Even the venerable Matawinero could not reach perfect harmony. "I was hoping this community would be a success story because it spans multiple generations," Dirks said. But the problems have worsened, as elsewhere. On the other hand, someone also burns someone's house."

Communication seemed to be a constant challenge and someone was kicked out of the group due to conflict.

The growing community in the province of Girona was completely free of internal conflicts - because it had only one resident. In La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, a beautiful area of ​​tree-covered volcanoes north of Barcelona, ​​Derks visited Dídac Costa. With money inherited from his father, he bought 170 hectares of land in the park, including many ruins of the village of Ca l'Amat, to find a place to live.

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Didak Costa from Barcelona has four cats, three dogs, two donkeys and 35 goats. But apart from the animals, he has yet to find any like-minded residents in the would-be community he calls Ecovila Amat. Photographer Sean Dirks says: “What Dedak is saying is politically complex.

"He completely renovated a house. Now he lives there with three dogs, four cats, two donkeys and 35 goats. But apart from the animals, he has yet to find like-minded people in the community he calls Ecovila. Amat says.

"What Didak is thinking about is political complexity," explains Dirks. "To be with him, people have to share his unbridled beliefs. And candidates who are pretty green-libertarian/pacifist/hippie, 'don't always have the money to invest,'" he said. "So he was there alone for years."

"No matter how good the situation is, there is no team without conflicts," Dirks said. "It's a price you have to pay if you want to start a different society."

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Costa feeds his animals in front of his house in the village of C'al Amat. He does not see his attempt to initiate humanity as a failure. "Even if you don't reach your destination, it gives direction to your life," Dirks said.

But now and then he found himself in places that looked very beautiful. In Barchal, a village on the grid west of Valencia, Dirks immediately felt at home. A group of young aspirants were converting an empty farmhouse into their new home. By the time they arrived seven years ago, the post had been vacant for four decades.

He says: "There is a big vegetable garden and they are happy together. "They are very active in the development of the village based on their values." Almost all decisions are made through meetings. "Who will milk the goats? Who will work in the garden? Who handles lunch? Who makes the soap? "It's like an endless school camping trip," he said.

Dirks realized that he was not cut out for public life. He says: “That was probably the biggest challenge of the job. "I embrace many of the ideas that underpin such a village, such as sustainability and minimalism." It attracts.

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"You have to differentiate yourself in some way for the common goal of building a sustainable future together," he said. “It's great that they did, but I couldn't do it on my own. Having a meeting with every big decision. I don't do it.

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