Cloud destination: Smirka
Highlights of the tour: green organic villages
Located next to the Little Swiss National Park in Saxony, Germany, Schmielka has been voted "the most beautiful village in Saxony". Tourists who have come have lamented that this place can turn back time, hide between mountains and rivers, no network, self-sufficiency, like a return to the era of farming. It is understood that Smirka was once a dilapidated village abandoned, and later a German entrepreneur named Hitzer invested tens of millions of euros to bring new life to the small village and create a self-sufficient green ecological home.
It is said that the historical Smirka, which at first had only three small shacks, was a temporary residence for boatmen and foresters, and it was not until 1665 that it was approved to build a mill and sell bread. After 1973, schmielka and Bad Schandau established administrative relations, while the sandstone landscape of the Elbe attracted hikers from the surrounding area and the country, and it gradually became a popular holiday destination. However, after the 1990s, the population outflow of Smirka plummeted to less than 100 people, and many houses fell into disrepair and were abandoned.
It was at this time that Hitzer began acquiring Smielka's house. In 2007, he renovated and expanded the old mill copperplate engravings painted by the German painter Adrian Ludwiggert in 1823, "resurrecting" the oldest building in the village and milling flour for the upcoming bakery. Hitzer recalls the scene: "When the water wheel re-turns, driving the grinder to make an ancient sound, and the ground grain slowly falls into the flour bag, the soul of the village begins to recover. "The bakery, like the old mill, has maintained its original appearance, and with the exception of the oven, the other items are almost all made in the same way as they were. The way bread is baked in wood stoves continues here, and bakers heat up the old wood stoves from 2 a.m. to prepare for toasting bread. According to reports, firewood comes from the local area, the flour is nutritious Spelt wheat, bakers also use organic breweries to brew the remaining grain residue baked, and in winter, a variety of organic dried fruit breads are introduced.
In Smielka, everything comes from a local, organic, ecological farm. In addition, ecological plantations have been opened on the banks of the Elbe, growing herbs and natural seasonings. Today, there are 3 restaurants and a beer garden, where a variety of fine wines and delicacies are served throughout the day, and visitors can experience the delicious taste of local ingredients. All the building materials of the hotel in the village also come from nature, such as the beds, furniture and floors are made of wood, the mattresses and pillows are made of natural latex... Here you can experience different accommodations, such as the bohemian boutique hotel created by famous designers, the "river view room" on the elbe river, the ranger's house and so on.
Interestingly, in the current internet age, Schmielka has no WiFi, only electric vehicles, and all electricity uses renewable energy sources such as solar energy and waste heat power generation. Hitzer also plans to build a rural cinema, open a butcher shop, and even build a green energy residential power station. When you are tired of playing, you can go to the "sauna village" to take a nap, steam sauna, bubble medicinal bath, and do yoga.
Beijing News reporter Qu Xiaoyi
Edited by Li Zheng Proofreader Li Ming
Photo courtesy of The German Tourist Board