Quarnebeck, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Quarnebeck has 177 inhabitants and is part of the town of Klötze. The village is located in the middle of the sparsely populated Altmark, 90 km north of the state capital Magdeburg, 40 km south of the district town of Salzwedel and 40 km east of Wolfsburg, the main commuting destination of this region. Here, a small village is impressively fighting against the persistently strong emigration and the associated aging and powerlessness. It does so by making full and sustainable use of its own resources as a large community. It is also an attractive place to new inhabitants due to its multi-generational help and welcoming culture, as a result of which the number of inhabitants can be kept stable. In Quarnebeck everyone can experience the contagious enthusiasm with which the people of Quarnebeck design their village.

Under the motto “Sustainability the short way”, the location of the village in the Biosphere Reserve Moor Drömling is recognized as potential for gentle tourism and local recreation. Environmental education for the youngest, the creation and care of flowering strips, a “birth meadow” as an orchard with sponsorships for old fruit tree varieties, private vegetable gardens, insect hotels, nesting sites for endangered bird species in the former transformer tower, certified sustainable forest management with the removal of individual trees and gradual adaptation to climate change as well as the hunting association are understood as a natural part of village life.

An organic adventure farm in the “Landvergnügen” network attracts cyclists and mobile homes from all over Europe to the village. The former stable was transformed into a new locksmith business , thanks to a returning woman from Quarnebeck. The order books are full and the energy costs are completely self-controlled thanks to wood chip heating and PV systems on the roof. Generally, local wood, coupled with geothermal energy, solar thermal energy and photovoltaics, cover the heat requirements of most households.

In addition, Quarnebeck advertises the conscious contrast between working in the city and living in the country. For mobility, commuters use car pools in combination with the train or state bus lines. Quarnebeck is trying to obtain funding for the expansion of more regular bus connections and the further development of the on-call bus system with digital timetable information and live bus tracking. The on-call buses are also used regularly for joint trips to art and culture events in the surrounding towns. Cycling is the obvious choice for trips within the village and to the neighboring village, for example to club sports, daycare and other social facilities.

Public WIFI spots and benches, a self-supported community house with specially organized catering on weekends, the former stable that has been converted into a rifle club and the renovated village church ensure that people can get together. Many things are accomplished – wisely, with little financial means and a lot of commitment.

The music and family festival “RoQ keeps equality”, organized every two years by young and “young at heart” people from Quar-nebeck and the surrounding area, shines as a beacon, protesting extremism and advocating for dialogue in various formats such as installations, (sofa) concerts, workshops and discussion groups. When visiting the site as part of the competition, we were allowed to be part of a small edition on the village square and that was amazing to experience. The people of Quarnebeck consciously see the preparation and implementation of the festival as well as the reporting on the content and goals of “RoQ keeps equality” as a benefit for their village and the entire region, because it stimulates reflection on what equality means in the community and in our personal lives. The aim of the lighthouse project is to open eyes, broaden one’s own horizons and thereby reach all generations. People – regardless of origin and skin color – implement creative ideas together. Music plays a central role, because music connects. A lot of Quarnebeckers are guests for the weekend, they help before and after on a voluntary basis to set an example for democracy and to promote togetherness. The great success of “RoQ keeps equality” led to more and more events, also made possible by the funding that was won in turn. Investments were primarily made in political education and the children’s festival was further developed. In order to make the festival more ecological, instead of temporary plastic tents, wooden stands made of local wood were recently built by the village community and reusable deposit cups with a specially designed festival logo were used.

And during the time between festivals, there is an installation on the Quarnebeck village square with shocking historical and contemporary quotes on slates behind movable covers, initially in hidden authorship. It reminds us to brace against hatred and hate speech and to build bridges again and again between young and old, country and city, tradition and innovation, the familiar and the new: It reminds us of the importance of constant renewal of the livable and lovable environment for the benefit of all, and Quarnebeck represents this in a very special way.

Evaluated: 2022