From housing shortage to the monastery

Emergency is the mother of invention: Because the land prices in Munich are going through the roof, soft, cooperatives increasingly to the surrounding area.

Anna Lifted

A bit dangerous it is, as a Munich on a glorious spring day ends, proceed to the monastery of Schlehdorf am Kochelsee. Could happen that you come back and the move to the country want to plan. Peter Schmidt's electric car along humming along the country road, on the left is stalking a stork is on the dandelion meadow, in front of the mountains are lit. Schmidt, the Executive Board, the Munich-based housing cooperative Wogeno, the turn signal and follow the road that leads up a small hill up to the monastery building.

Wogeno, this seems to be suddenly, "Where what goes?". Where anything goes, today, since the land prices in Munich are going through the roof and the cooperatives is almost priceless: best in the surrounding area. Of course, the Wogeno also builds more apartments in Munich. About 200 are currently in the making, in the Prinz-Eugen-Park and two projects in Riem. In Freiham, the cooperative has won the bid for a plot of land on the 80 apartments that can arise. But in addition, you look out over the city of Munich, the edge. Three projects in the region are currently in the planning stage, where the surrounding countryside is taken: in Wörthsee, in Bad Aibling, and in Schlehdorf.

Since June 2018 the sample operation: Peter Schmidt, chief Executive of the Wogeno in his room in the monastery.

(photo: Corinna Guthknecht)

The local religious community of the missionary Dominican sisters of the monastery had become simply too large. So it was eventually for 4.2 million euros for sale, 50 interested parties, there was, in the meantime, after various negotiations, the sisters remained with the Wogeno in contact. The concept of a so-called Co-house liked them a house to Live and Work, for short and long stays, ecological, social and community-oriented. As the sisters were and are.

parts of the common values, says Peter Schmidt. "For ecological Living, as it is stated in the articles of Association; in the case of the sisters it is the preservation of the creation." Since June 2018, the Co-house runs in trial operation, the sisters have built on your property a new, smaller house. Probably in autumn will decide whether the Wogeno is to buy the monastery actually, and the project permanently.

Amelie Sperl, 56, and Richard Brockbank, 73, sitting on chairs in the hallway, because that's where the Wifi is better, both have Laptops on their knees. She is a psychologist, he works as an artist with wood. Both know the monastery well, Brockbank has meditated earlier with the nuns. Last summer they rented work spaces, in February, then your apartment to the monastery moved. You are pulled in two Studio rooms, one living room with kitchen, a bedroom with bathroom. Sperl's daughter said: "but That's only temporary, right?" Then she came to visit and was thrilled. Just like Sperl and Brockbank. Not isolated, but to be able to determine the intensity of the contact, the other residents themselves, this is ideal for you, says Amelie Sperl.

you and your Partner have it with the two high and spacious rooms, quite comfortable; most rooms can be rented as a permanent resident, or guest, are between twelve and 14 square meters in size, and monastic and simply furnished. To the 50 people currently live at the monastery, 15 of them permanently. Teachers and communication designers, therapists, educators, an accountant, a labor judge.

Amelie Sperl and Richard Brockbank to the monastery Schlehdorf moved in, asked her daughter: "but That's only temporary, right?" Now all the doubts are gone, the psychologist and the artist, as well as the daughter.

(photo: Corinna Guthknecht)

Also, Maximilian Güntner, a 28 year old software developer. He could see the monastery, "even if it is old, in the architecture as a quite way of the future". In monasteries, finally, the Balance between privacy and public space had been over for a long time tried. "For certain life situations, this is ideal", says Güntner. "It is like a Dorm for adults", a large WG.

He can work from anywhere - why would he rent an expensive apartment in Munich? The contact between the residents is apparent by the many shared spaces, and so new ideas and projects, such as the convent movie theater where you watch movies would in turn. For the in-house community, there is an App with which information can be shared - a digital Bulletin Board.

Maximilian Güntner can work in his profession from anywhere - why not in a monastery?

(photo: Corinna Guthknecht)

In a room to set up a leisure-Gym, with fitness equipment, Billiards table, table tennis and table football. There is a large Banquet hall, there are rooms for seminars, and there are plenty of other plans. Still is not identified, the project can be sustained, but an appointment on Wednesday in the responsible Landratsamt in Bad Tölz was "a good step in the direction of planning security," says Schmidt. It is in talks with the authorities now have a lot of fire and monument protection; but the question of whether there really is for each resident of a such a giant-rent a car-Parking space to be made available.

Recently had the Wogeno, because the large number of accessions threatened to overwhelm her. In February, it imposed, therefore, a recording stop for new members. Relatively cheap Rents and security through a life-long right of residence - it is no wonder that the cooperative model in Munich is becoming more and more popular. 6000 members of the Wogeno had the end of 2018, only one out of every five lived, however, in an apartment of the cooperative.

This ratio should be more balanced, including through the projects outside of Munich. About 130 residential units there are currently a total of in planning. In addition to 40 in the monastery Schlehdorf about 30 in Bad Aibling might arise; in addition, 60 in Wörthsee, even there, the plans are quite concrete. A group of Local people had done together, a community-based residential project on the legs, as a counter model to the usual single-family house. They decided not to open their own cooperative, but also to develop the project with the Wogeno.

The resonance of the member to be shaft to the new environs activity "surprisingly positive," says Schmidt. Some of them were already, the Wogeno is to concentrate on your core area of Munich. The majority, however, say: "If the pressure in the boiler is so high, you have to pull out."