Kommune Niederkaufungen

 "From each according to ability, to each according to need."
Started over 25 years ago, Kommune Niederkaufungen, Germany's largest secular income-sharing commune, is an undogmatic, left-wing project; non-religious and non-spiritual. It is a member of the "Kommuja" network of political communes.
The core principles are a fully socialized economy with collective ownership, consensus decision-making, collective work, reduction of patriarchal structures, and an ecological approach to work and lifestyle. We try to satisfy as many of our own basic needs as possible, and also to offer ecological products and social services to the local population. Where possible, we often consume organic, regional, and seasonal products and fair trade goods and we have small farm shop distributing them. We use renewable fuel resources for a major part of our heating (wood). We produce electricity from photovoltaic solar panels. The structural renovations to our central building are now complete, and decorating there is nearly finished. Our exhibition hall is home to a range of examples of electric and/or pedal-powered vehicles.
We run 12 commune-owned collectives:
• a building firm: interior and exterior construction, insulation
• a carpentry and joinery shop
• a metal-workshop
• a kitchen/catering firm
• a Bioland-certified organic CSA market-garden
• an EU-certified organic dairy farm, including cheese-making
• a fruit growing, orchard care, and juice-making team
• an administration/consulting group
• a seminar center, with courses on commune themes and non-violent communication
• a kindergarten
• a daycare center for old people
• a project group promoting alternative mobility
A few people work externally. Some members of commune collectives are members of other local communes and there is a time exchange system between the groups.
We live in 14 living groups, including a men's group and a women's/lesbian group. We share all our meals and have weekly general meetings. We are looking for new (German speaking) members. Newcomers go through a three- to six-month trial period. We regularly offer orientation weekends and weeks for interested people.
Our homepage includes an English-language text about 20 years of commune life here and other info in English. There is also now a big photo gallery on the site.