A tour of Europe’s wonderfully remote coliving-coworking locations
by Ivan Brkljac
Micro coliving locations have been sprouting in the most unlikely of places – the rural countryside.
Villages and rural communities are considered to be dying environments, places that have a negative influx of people, with little or no cultural and social activities. However, the migration of young people from the countryside to the cities has created a gap that creative people are turning to their favor. Here, we’ll showcase some of the best examples of rural coworking and coliving spaces in Europe, and how they managed to turn these communities into interesting destinations around the globe.
Though the following places are scattered across Europe, they share many things in common: they inspire their members to reconnect with nature, spend more time outdoors, connect with other members on a more human level and establish a good work-life balance.
Mokrin House
Located in the Serbian countryside, Mokrin House looks like it could be on the docks of Amsterdam or on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Its urban style of architecture mixed with the rural surrounding creates a unique atmosphere for its international community of location-independent professionals. Mokrin House was launched in May last year and has since hosted guests from more than 25 countries. With numerous events for both the internal community and the wider local community, their ultimate goal is to create the first global village where people from all around the world will come to focus on their work and de-stress from the urban lifestyle many of us live today.
Sende
A stone house can be much more than that if you fill it with the right crowd. That could be the best explanation about Sende, a rural coworking and coliving space in Galicia, Spain. Founded in 2013, it is sought out by people who want to find peace of mind in the mountains that surround this stone village in the west of Spain. The back to basics approach that the cofounders of Sende have is ideal for people who want to focus on their work and still have profound conversations with likeminded people.
Sun and Co
Sun and Co is all about the positive vibes: sun, surfing, beautiful sunsets, amazing weather and a lot of laughter along with work. Operated by two amazing young Spaniards, it is a place where you will feel like a part of the family straight away. Sip on free organic coffee while sitting on a patio and hearing stories from all across the world.
Alpine Coworking
Let’s say you want to spend a month skiing or snowboarding every day but don’t want your work to suffer as a result. That’s exactly what Alpine Coworking and Bansko Coworking were made for. Located minutes away from the ski slopes, one in Switzerland the other in Bulgaria, both provide cozy coworking spaces alongside the favorite outdoor activities for winter sports aficionados.
Coconat
Coconat is for anyone who wants to be inspired, to create and play in the countryside. Your workspace? An old wooden desk, an oak tree to lean on with laptop on your knees, or perhaps a massive swing. Your location? A historic German town about 70 km (43 mi) southwest of Berlin. Its location in the Brandenburg countryside provides options cities don’t have, like picking wild berries and taking walks through the woods. Combine that with a dozen likeminded people and you’re in for one very unique experience.
Coworking has grown so much in recent years that even WeWork is experimenting with coliving. But remote places like these prove that when it comes to coworking and coliving, what people want is something genuine. They’re even willing to travel far and wide to find it. So next time you’re going to work remotely, why not go somewhere actually remote? As someone may have once said, there’s nowhere like anywhere.
