Transformational Eco-Tourism and Art of Symbiocenic Living in Serbia
I once again visited one of the cosiest and most meaningful ecological locations and initiatives in the Balkans that I have found over the past 1.5 years.
Serbia, 12 km from Novi Sad on the border with the national park “Fruška Gora”. The place is called Šumska 1 — which translates to Forest Street 1. These are:
- the ecotourism household (Facebook, Instagram),
- the “creative network” and environmental NGO — Panonika,
- and a small kindergarten ‘Forest School’,
- 2 organic gardens with a grey-water pond with fish
The core of this endeavour is the Sadžakov family. Two generations are actively involved, and the third is growing up. I plan to write a dedicated story about this amazing family, for now, detailed profiles of the family and the extended community can be found here.
- Main video story of Šumska 1 (5 minutes)
- 2023 video by Subotica TV interviewing (in Serbian, 20 minutes)
All buildings made of adobe are constructed here under the guidance of the well-known local expert in traditional construction, Lehel Horvat (his projects also deserve a separate review, for information about people engaged in natural construction in the Balkans, see the film ‘We Are All Made of Mud’ made within ERASMUS+ program initiated by GAIA Kosovo).
There is also sun water heating system, rainwater use, separated used water (grey waters go the pond), and compost dry toilets.
Local Immersions
The family’s extensive education and experience allow them to conduct seminars on various topics:
- Balkan music (the elder generation are musicians by education).
- Nature of the national park, including biodiversity topics, winter forest exploration, and children’s quests.
- Bread baking and vegan cuisine (can be combined with lunch/dinner preparation).
- Experience of an ecological lifestyle — from the philosophy of nature-oriented living in the post-Anthropocene era to the practice of building with natural materials (straw, mud, old timber), self-sufficiency, plant-based diet, and the use of compost toilets. From the practices of intergenerational family collective and collaboration with volunteers to organising festivals and international youth programs under ERASMUS+.
More options in the summer season:
- Camping
- The second part of May and early June is for the birdwatching program
- One-day events outdoors for up to 15 participants Euro from 750 (up to 40 negotiable) (workshops, corporate and team building gatherings, nature and the countryside immersions for kids and youth, programs on youth capacity building, eco-literacy, and sustainability, theatrical master classes, and concerts).
Here is the form for inquiries.
Volunteering in workaway/wwoofing format is possible. Professionals work together with volunteers.
More context
- There are three dogs, including a playful young husky, and a cat.
- Kid and pet-friendly environment.
- The kitchen is vegan, overseen by the senior host Goga, who has specialised education in nutrition and culinary expertise (not everyone will guess that dishes are without animal protein).
- Smoking is allowed outdoors (some family members also smoke) — it’s not common in eco-friendly places, but this is the Balkans after all.
- A small but well-picked library on ecology and health topics in English, Serbian, and German.
- And more photos.
Art of Symbiocenic Living
Within the neighbourhood, Forest University is slowly appearing with attention and care by another family who found their home on the uplands of Fruska Gora. Goran Tomka and Višnja Kisić are in social sciences with research interests moving to ecological thought as well as dismantling nature/culture divides. They grow an alternative place for creating and sharing knowledge among humans and more-than-human world that would attract researchers, artists, and practitioners to collaborate post-disciplinary for post-Anthropoece perspectives and practices.
Goran and Višnja renovate their premises for small art-researcher-earthlovers residencies (I’ve been a beta-tester for this) and co-organize and co-host events like:
- ‘Ka simbiocenu’ (‘Towards Symbiocene’) helping ‘Plavo i Zeleno’ initiative
- and Deep Live Gathering (I’ve got a bit of reflection about it here).
My friend Andrew Gryf Paterson — a Helsinki-based artist-organiser, cultural producer, educator and independent researcher visited last Autumn both Šumska 1 and Forest University made this audio and a long read that reflect his experience here. My discussions with Andrew as well as getting to know about Yugoslav artists, such as Marko Pogačnik, Marina Abramović (2023 visual biography) and Božidar Mandić (2023 interview) have led me to guess that such a lifestyle search for alternatives to the mainstream technology-based and capital-driven civilization is also contemporary art by itself. It is something that is interesting and attractive to spectate, to think about, and to learn from.
Fruška Gora Neighbours
I believe that the landscapes of the National Parks attract people who do pay significant attention to which surroundings they want to live in as well as who have capacities to make such a choice. So I continued to explore and my third finding nearby became a much more traditional project — Blossom Village Eco Farm. That is a family business endeavour on the property of 4,5 hectares located on a picturesque hill (yes, the views are great, I’ve been there). They host events of up to 100 people from corporate ones to weddings, from shooting commercials to yoga/meditation groups. As a farm stay the house can accommodate up to 10 guests.
What keeps my mind remembering this place is also a sauna that is quite rare in the Balkans.
And Fruška Gora’s Spin-off
Yet another wave of Slavic relocatees and refugees moved to Serbia after 2022. Nadya Andrianova, whose family moved from the south of Russia started volunteering for the forest school at Šumska 1 as her kid joined it.
Then she discovered that there is even more demand for such activities among Russian/Ukranian/Belarus parents. Thus Nadya co-founded “Fruška Spark” (Фрушка Искра). She describes it as:
Cultural and educational project aimed at living, learning, and creating in harmony with the place where we live. To some extent, the idea of Forest Kindergartens and Schools inspired me. We have done something similar in the city: we walk with children in the green areas of the city for 3–4 hours. We organize family celebrations and workshops, as well as hikes to Fruška Gora. On average, 12–15 people join us for walks and celebrations. Teenage hikes are planned.
Tranformational tourism or something beyond it?
Without heavy man-made physical environments and fast and challenging social interactions as well as without text/audio/video information spaces while surrounded by settings that were humans’ habitat for ages — I mention forest, water, sky, and stars, it’s possible to get rid from distraction to be present for healing. To switch from consumer perspective through observer to carer.
I guess such clusters of more or less ecology-aware households on the borders with national parks/nature reserves and communities that they attract could become places/destinations that really go far beyond any tourism concept even if we would label them as regenerative or transformational tourism spots. It would be misleading to call them ecovillages, so I suggest a term — regenerative neighbourhoods that stress the significant autonomy of each household. There is the potential for them to be more than just a good experience for guests. Such landscapes and their inhabitants could stimulate change/transformation as people come to immerse in the forest and rural settings not just to get back to themselves and surrounding nature, but to see that alternative lifestyles are indeed possible.
Some of my other ‘Balkan reports’:
- Serbian Ecologists
- Interview with Nara Petrovic (Slovenia)
- Immersing in the Light of Albanian Nature and Culture
- Reflections on Tivat Tourism Think Tank 2022 — Regeneration for Montenegro and the Western Balkans. 2022 Montenegro.
- Unaware (Unconscious) Violence and Seeds of In-action. Deep Live Gathering 2022 in Montenegro.
- Expats in the Montenegro Countryside (in Russian)
- Social Slow Travel: Lowcost&Zerowaste (it’s a more general overview, but it’s heavily based on the latest experience in the Balkans)
