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Published: February 28th 2008
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Holiday Cabins, Heimstetten, Germany
It's not a tent... it's not a camper.... it's a Freizeitraum! For just 22,200 Euros (wonder where that extra 200 Euros comes in? If this were the US, it would be 21,999 Euros, for obvious marketing purposes...) you could have yourself a little wood cabin in a cul-de-sac of little wood cabins, in a field. Running water and electricity are available to you, and there is even a public restroom. There are seven cabin styles to choose from, each of which is 24 square meters (around 250 square feet) including the porch. And I'm pretty sure that includes the yard, too. Ok, so 22,200 Euros. At today's exchange rate, that is a mere $33,572 US Dollars, for a log cabin that's not big enough to live in, and doesn't have a bathroom anyway. Why would somebody buy one of these things?
Because this is Germany, and things work differently here. You see, a large percentage of the population lives in apartments. And 60% of the population doesn't own the house/apartment they live in. And yet they are human, and they feel the need to own something other than their car. Now, if you are German and reading this and have a positive or funny comment to make then fine. But please
Like a suburb... only rougher
The advertisement for a new holiday cabin subdivision... don't e-mail me ranting that I have no clue and how dare I talk about Germans, because I do not claim to be an expert on anything, certainly not on Germany and most definitely on the log cabins they are building up the street. I am just stating my observations... these little cabins are really a curiosity for an American!
In the United States, most people in the middle and upper classes own their own homes. Even many people in the lower class own their own homes or trailers. We have little yards to work in if we want, but we rarely leave our homes to go to parks and so forth because most of us have televisions (hee hee, I am saying "us" as if I live in the US, which I don't anymore...). The idea of purchasing a cabin in a cabin neighborhood just does not exist for us. We go camping, but it's close to free, and it is very temporary. The tent only stays up for a night or two (if it's set up correctly). We cook some hot dogs and hamburgers, toast marshmellows (they sell those in the "international foods" sections of some grocery
Catch it while you can
Bikini weather in February - This is Munich, not Mexico! stores here!), and leave when we run out of junk food to munch on and we want a shower. But the "Garten mit Blockhaus" they are selling here is an entirely unique concept to us.
For one thing, the name: Garden with cabin. You're not just buying the cabin, you're buying the garden and it has a cabin in it. You want so badly to own a piece of land and plant a few flowers and vegetables that you buy one on the outskirts of town. That's another thing... these are not holiday resorts. The one in our town is in a field between two lakes (one is artificial and the other one might be as well). Granted, we enjoy them greatly, but my point is that this isn't a place to go away for summer vacation. They might be just a few miles from your apartment so you go for the day, to tend to your garden.
In addition to wanting a garden and wanting to own something, I think that another reason people may want these is that air conditioning is very rare here. And if you don't think it gets hot in Germany, come and
visit in July. When it's in the 90s and 100% humidity. You might be the next in line for a little garden in a field between two lakes, fake or not.
More than anything, these little cabins say so much about Germany (well, at least Bavaria, I can't vouch for the rest of Germany) and Germans (or at least Bavarians) which is that they really love being outside, and they take full advantage of the out-of-doors in all seasons and all weathers. They are outside as much as they can be, and they even walk rather than drive whenever it is possible. They go for strolls, walk their dogs, swim, sunbathe, have barbecues, run, play sports, ice skate on the frozen lakes in winter, swim in the lakes in the summer... I am really amazed. The photos you see on this entry, of the older couple sunbathing... that was on February 24th. The sun came out and the weather warmed up into the 60s and everyone was out trying to make some Vitamin D.
The new cabin neighborhood in our town is just being set up, but I look forward to seeing it grow, flowers and trees get planted, and people turn their soil into gardens of paradise. And good for them, I say - I hope I can learn from them and get outside as much as possible. (I'll try to post some follow-up pictures as the gardens grow in)
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Cinja
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Cabin mystery
Hi, I happen to be German and I might be able to help you better understand these cabins... Thought I can't be sure, it looks like these are not vacation cabins you'd live in during the summer months, they seem to be part of a new "Gartensiedlung." People living in apartments (no matter if they rent or own them) usually don't have a yard but since Germans like to spend time outside tanning, gardening, celebrating, etc., they often decide to buy a piece of land (sometimes with, sometimes without a little hat or "cabin") just to be able to enjoy the outdoors and often to get away from the city. That's why these developments or "Gartensiedlungen" are so close to people's homes. Hope that helped.