Home is… op’n Dörp: Diahren – Where city-weary people put down roots

Just a few years ago, Diahren threatened to become a ghost village. Today, the small Rundling village in the Wendland enjoys great popularity, especially among families who have moved here from the big city.

Sitting on the sofa and dreaming of country life? That wasn’t enough for Gero, Per, Sarah, Alexandra and many of their neighbours. They moved out of Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Leipzig into the countryside. Today, the city weary have put down roots in the Wendland.  Diahren is their home – far away from fast internet, motorways and modern infrastructure.

Just ten years ago, many of the old farmhouses in the village stood empty. The farms had become too small for a life of farming. Other jobs were lacking – a move to the cities was the last resort for many long-established residents.

For those who moved in, this is fortunate. The houses are big, cheap and the opportunities seem limitless. Meanwhile, 60 people live in Diahren again – 14 of them children. The adults find new ways to earn money – and raise cattle, fatten pigs, run a collective Sunday café and organise concerts on the side. In short: they turn village life upside down.

Broadcast date:Sonntag, 28. Februar 2016 um 20:15 Uhr im NDR
Length:90 Min.
Written and directed by:Johannes Bünger, Vivien Pieper
Camera:André Krüger
Editor:Imke Koseck
Editorial advisor:Ralf Kosack, Marion von Oertzen
Production:Ulrike Römhild
Line producer:Anke Meyer
Producer:Martina Sprengel
Executive producer:Hartmut Klenke
Filming location:Diahren