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Bárcena de Bureba was abandoned since the 70s due to lack of electricity and opportunities, but now a Dutch couple is trying to rebuild the village with solar energy, community gardens, and sustainable living
Bárcena de Bureba, a small town in the province of Burgos, in Castilla y León, Spain, is beginning to leave behind decades of abandonment after being largely purchased by a Dutch couple for 350 thousand euros, about 2 million R$. The proposal is to rebuild about 60 ruined stone houses and create a self-sufficient ecovillage based on solar energy, regenerative agriculture, and community living.
Village of Bárcena de Bureba was abandoned in the 70s
The Spanish village was covered by weeds for decades, with impassable roads, deteriorated houses, and unused land.
The abandonment occurred in the 70s, associated with the lack of electricity and opportunities to keep residents in the area.
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More than half a century later, Maaike Geurts and Tibor Strausz decided to invest in the territory as a base for a community life project.
The initiative was made public in 2024, after years of searching for a suitable place to develop an alternative model of coexistence.
The couple found in Bárcena de Bureba an area far from home, but with a price considered viable for the size of the project. The purchase included a large part of the town, with about 60 stone properties in ruins.
Self-sufficient ecovillage bets on solar energy
One of the first challenges was to ensure basic services to make the area habitable. To achieve this, those responsible installed a local electrical network powered by solar panels and batteries stored in a recycled container.
The measure directly addresses one of the village’s historical problems: the lack of electricity. Now, the reconstruction attempt uses sustainable technologies to enable the permanence of residents and collaborators.
In an interview with El Periódico, Maaike Geurts stated that the project’s progress exceeded expectations. She said the couple is surprised by the repercussion and that everything has gone better than they expected.
Stream, gardens, and edible forest are part of the plan
Besides energy, the project foresees the use of the stream that crosses the region to create irrigation systems and storage ponds. The structure is expected to supply future community gardens and support regenerative crops.
Another planned point is the creation of an edible forest. The idea is that the space functions as a food source, an environmental conservation tool, and a sustainable production area.
These measures are part of the attempt to transform Bárcena de Bureba into a rural community with less dependence on external services, more connected to nature, and organized around sustainability.
Project aims to attract families and collaborators
The creators of the ecovillage hope to receive at least six families from the Netherlands. The call is also open to people from other countries interested in living in the village and helping with the reconstruction.
The proposal is to form a multicultural community, united by values linked to sustainability, environmental care, and collective living.
In recent months, the organizers have also started promoting cultural gatherings, poetry festivals, and artistic activities.
The community shares progress and receives inquiries through the @barcenadebureba account on Instagram.
Among the messages received, there are those interested in contributing with technical knowledge, such as electricity and construction technology, as well as people willing to develop artistic projects.
This article was prepared based on information from El Periódico and the @barcenadebureba account on Instagram, with data, numbers, and statements preserved as per the consulted material.
Very happy to see the efforts by the dutch couple. My best wishes for them. I’m interested to live there if i get a chance