Bakuninhütte

Emerging mainly from the then unionized workforce of the Meininger Eisenbahnwerk (RAW), its almost 100-year past is a reflection of the 20th century. On the one hand, its special features lie in the world of ideas of the families involved in the construction: so-called anarcho-syndicalism is an anarchist trade union movement with worldwide influence. On the other hand, the place is captivating because of the idyllic landscape surrounding it on a forest clearing with a wide view.

Committed to the idea of “mutual aid”, a small area of arable land was purchased and cultivated collectively and the yields shared in solidarity among the participating families. Thus, on a small scale, a solution organized “from below” was found for the supply bottlenecks that threatened the existence after the First World War. Later, the skilled industrial workers built a shelter on their property, which they named after the Russian-born revolutionary Mikhail Bakunin. They had all the skills to construct buildings and fancy playground equipment – like a chain carousel – on their own. Eventually, a vacation and training home for the anarcho-syndicalist movement developed here, until it fell victim to National Socialism and could not be revived even under the rule of the authoritarian socialists.