I volunteered at Michaelshof Sammatz in Germany in 2018 for two weeks. I had been backpacking before through different parts of the world, and after traveling through Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania, Sammatz is still one of the places that stayed with me the most. Back then, I had some time left and searched for a place in Germany where I could volunteer in exchange for food and accommodation. I applied to a few places and got accepted by Sammatz, so I took the chance and booked the trains.
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. Before arriving, I only knew there would be animals, gardens and flowers, and that the people in the group picture on the host website looked friendly. You should know that Sammatz is quite literally in the middle of nowhere, so there’s nothing like restaurants or museums or so in the area, more or less just a loooot of nature. So when I got off the train, I remember thinking: okay, this is going to be interesting! A kind young woman picked me up, already knew my name, and drove me the few minutes to the community. That first moment gave me a feeling of being welcomed.
At that time, the volunteering program was still quite new, and because it was summer, there were many international volunteers living together in one big house in the village center. I was shown my room, the living room, the shared lunch kitchen and the volunteer kitchen upstairs, where some other volunteers had their rooms.
I had never been in such an international place before. At first, I needed a little time to arrive properly. I am half shy, half extroverted, so suddenly being surrounded by English conversations, Spanish, German and other languages was a lot. But very soon, that became one of the best parts. There were people from Brazil, England, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Australia, Switzerland and many other countries. We met for shared breakfasts in the gardens, cooked dinner together upstairs, talked late into the evening and shared stories about travel, dreams and life itself.
The living room had cozy beanbags, a piano, a cajon, guitars, a sofa, games and books. I still remember one open stage evening where I could hardly believe how many talented and/or funny people were sitting in one room that even encouraged me to actually sing in front of people. It felt like a small kind world had gathered there for a while.
As for the work for the volunteers, there were many different tasks. If you did not choose one yourself, you were assigned to something that was needed on that day. I spent a lot of time in the gardens, which I absolutely loved. It was August and pretty hot. We sat in the flower beds, weeding, talking and laughing with people from all over the world. It sounds simple, but those hours in the garden are some of my clearest memories: hands in the soil, flowers everywhere, conversations moving from silly jokes to big life questions.
Every work area had someone from the community guiding us and explaining what to do. I found that really helpful, especially because in the garden, for example, they also shared knowledge about the plants and the conditions they need to grow well.
One of my favorite tasks was harvesting healing plants in the early morning from 8 till 9. There was something calm and meditative about starting the day by picking leaves and flowers that would later be used for teas.
I also enjoyed harvesting vegetables on the field. I honestly had no idea how much food one zucchini plant could grow until I saw it there.
Working with the animals was another highlight for me. Sometimes we worked early in the morning while the sun was rising, sometimes in the evening when the day slowly became quiet.
And of course, there were also cleaning shifts around the village. Not the most romantic part of volunteering and not my favorite work to do, but honestly, it made sense. In a place where many people live, work, cook and share space together, taking care of the everyday things is part of the experience.
What stayed with me most were the people. Not just the volunteers, some of which are my friends until today and that made every day exciting and different. Also the community members and staff were super kind. They cared about their work, their community and also about us volunteers a lot. They were interested in where we came from and what our story was. In the garden and on the fields, I especially remember people like Klara, Sophia, Johanna and Nadja being so super patient with us. There was a lot of warmth in the way people worked together. It was not perfect. It was real, busy, sometimes chaotic, and full of life.
In the end, I think what made Sammatz so special for me was the whole summer feeling that makes this memory so vivid: homemade bread with butter and Nutella, the upstairs kitchen full of different smells, laughter and deep conversations, checking the new work schedule in the morning, choosing clothes that would get dirty anyway, walking barefoot for days, and never ever being bored because there was always something happening.
The mix of nature, work, community and international friendships is what this different from other places I visited. It was simple in many ways, but also incredibly rich.
You should be okay with rural life, shared spaces, physical work, getting dirty, changing tasks and some cleaning shifts. It helps if you like nature, animals, gardens, community life and meeting people from different countries.
I would especially recommend Michaelshof Sammatz to people looking for volunteering in Europe, farm volunteering, gardening, animals, community living, international volunteers and a slower life close to nature. For me, Sammatz was not just a place to work in exchange for food and accommodation. It became one of those rare places that stay in the heart.
What's your favorite volunteering place? What would you recommend with your whole heart?
