Ecovillage in Latvia: wooden houses in the forest by the lake, lack of fences and electric poles

Have you heard that there is an elite eco-village Amatciems in Latvia? If not, then you will be interested to know about this wonderful place. It was founded by businessman and enthusiast Aivars Zvirbulis, who really wanted to live in his spacious and comfortable house near the water, in the forest. This is how this world appeared - wooden houses with thatched roofs and their own lakes in the middle of the forest, without fences, hills, meadows, paths and bridges for walking above the water. Sounds fabulous, doesn't it?

To date, about 200 houses have been built in the village, each of which has personal access to the lake. The houses are inscribed in the landscape in such a way that the neighbors do not interfere with each other - they are separated by forest, hills or water. This allows not to disturb the comfortable life of wild animals, they can move freely around the village. Therefore, roe deer, foxes, hares and martens come to visit.

There are village rules in Amatciems, and this is not a list of prohibitions, but the way of life of people who respect their neighbors and take good care of nature and the space around them:

• Houses are allowed to be built from natural wood and covered with three types of roofs: reed, wood or clay tiles.
• It is forbidden to build fences so as not to interfere with wild animals to move around the area and not to violate the idea of ​​the village.
• It is necessary to observe silence in the evening and at night.
• Keep the area around the house clean and tidy.
• And an unusual ban on keeping a dog on the street in an open-air cage or booth, because it is a companion and friend, and he should not sit on a chain.

In the eco-village you will not see a single electric pole, all communications are laid underground. Therefore, the beautiful views of forests and lakes do not spoil the electrical wires. Homes are heated by ground source heat pumps - an environmentally friendly and economical type of heating that takes advantage of the temperature difference between the ground and air and does not emit any emissions into the atmosphere. Each house, built according to an individual project, has a fireplace, a sauna with access to the reservoir.

Here, one household owns either the whole lake or a part. The village has a high-speed fiber-optic Internet, city sewerage, water from an artesian well, a video surveillance system and round-the-clock security. As you can see, everything for a comfortable and well-organized life is here. But most importantly, having absolutely all the city amenities, you will enjoy life in nature, near water and in the vicinity of wild animals. Would you like to live in a place like this? For those who want to feel the atmosphere of this eco-friendly settlement, there is an opportunity to come to the spa hotel located in the territory of Amatciems or rent a whole house for a vacation or weekend. Come, but I warn you: you will fall in love with this place at first sight and you will unbearably want to stay here forever.