Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek

Gyiiriifii Hungary
Ibafa
Gyiiriifii was started in 1991 and now has over 20 permanent residents existing
throughout the year. A larger number are still building their houses. It eco-village
is situated in Southwest Hungary, in a hilly area called Zselic, with
narrow deep valleys and pastures and surrounded by managed forests.
Due to the lack of accommodation on the Gyiiriifii project itself, most
of the people involved live in the town of Ibafa right next to it. The
offices for the project are also based there.
There has been a village at Gyiiriifii long ago which had fallen into
total disrepair over the last forty years due to the governments policy
of centralisation. Most of the buildings were totally unusable except
for the materials which can be scavenged. One of the problems faced
by the initiators has been the long hard winters which delayed construction
of the access road considerably.
The Gyiiriifii Foundation searches for sustainable alternatives to present
day development practices. It is assumed that the principles of
ecological lifestyle and the application of co-operative methods and
appropriate technologies can be organised into one comprehensive,
integrated and holistic scheme meeting all the needs of human existence
without upsetting the natural balance. The principal aim is to build
up a human scale community pattern which gives high priority to mu-
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