We live three to five families at Tranehøj in a commune, which is more than simply living under the same roof.
We try to base our everyday lives on the principles of sustainability, ecology and fair trade, at the same time striving to make Tranehøj a resource base for activities related to the world around us – locally as well as globally. We have a fruitful relationship to the local folk high school in the nearby small town, Jyderup, and once a year some of us are organizing cultural visits to local schools with groups of young artists from countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America.
The adult residents are employed locally or working freelance. The kids attens a free school.
Each family has an appartment with a kitchenette. We share the bathrooms and have a common dining room, TV room, guest room, workroom, playroom, music room and workshops – as well as lots of space outdoors.
We have sheep and hens – and an organic orchard. In addition to this we have a large kitchen garden, which provides us with vegetables half of the year.
We take turns to cook and we eat together on weekdays. We share ordinary day-to-day duties and have a work weekend once a month, when we carry out maintenance on the buildings, dig the garden, work on joint projects etc.
During the year we also follow various traditions together: Shrovetide, Midsummer, Harvest Festival and the New Year.
Tranehøj is an old farm dating back from 1822. From 1850 until 1891 it was a workhouse for poor people and after that an old peoples home until 1983. When it was converted into a commune a lot of things were changed, and today we have approximately 700 m2 of living space in which to thrive. In addition to this we have two wings for workshops, storage and assembly hall as well as a stable for the animals.