Lückert, Northrine Westphalia, Germany

Lückert is one of some 100 villages of the municipality Hennef. The Rundling (circular village) with its approximately 110 residents it is located in a protected landscape, making the designation of new building lots extremely difficult. There are no vacant buildings; the village group administers a virtual list for housing space requests. The old half-timbered houses are in great condition and exceptionally greened. The townscape is generally very green, there is above-average use of alternative energy and of natural resources for energy production.

The village community is outstanding in its social togetherness, which is strengthened by various celebrations throughout the year. The village renewal process began in 2001, driven solely by the determination of the locals, without any external moderation or support. The first village committee was founded and a village plan conceived, the development concept was developed between 2011 and 2013 and in 2019, village guidelines were established. The cooperation remains in formal and is not a recognized association. Financing is procured almost exclusively by their own efforts; there is no regular funding from public funds. The municipality does however support its villages through a village coordinator who serves as a guide and advises the villages on funding options from the municipality, county and state. Implementation of projects is generally discussed and voted on during the three annual village assemblies. Promoting democratic processes proves to be a challenge – not only in Lückert itself, but across the globe. One of their guiding ideas for village development in Lückert is “Delegate responsibility, create commitment”.

Lückert is located within a healthy cultural landscape, farmed by two organic part-time farmers with aid from the community during harvest season. Orchards and vegetable gardens characterize the village. There is a ride-sharing bench and the village is connected to the school bus system since 2007. The heritage association “Eichholz” plans and implements projects across the villages, such as an orchard hiking trail.

A lighthouse project for the community is “Lückert TV”, a village TV channel, which records the village continuously since 1989 and makes the images available to the community. Since 2007, the group also maintains a Youtube channel by the same name. Over 30 years, a large film archive has been created. Together with a photography archive, it serves as an audio-visual memorial for the village. The project also includes a website and various social media channels, a local Lückert-Cloud and much more. Many initiatives aim to improve internet reception, such as an amplifier for free WIFI. The village generally succeeds at making good use of its residents’ skills, allowing the village community to pay relatively small fees for various improvements of life quality.

Through the constructive cooperation within the small community, a strong sense of identity was formed over the last decades, which is represented by a village emblem, logo, and anthem since 2007 and also by confident and constructive dealings with the municipality and county administration. The village community center, known as “Schafstall” (sheepfold) and built in 2009, serves as a social meeting space.

In 2018, the village launched the project “Partnerdorf” (partner village). The call for applications was promoted through Youtube and received lots of media attention. Plittersdorf, about 70 km away, was finally selected as the new partner village. They support each other in many ways, advise each other and implement projects together.

Lückert presents itself as a social unit; it used direct democracy to analyze its strengths and weaknesses and to implement appropriate projects that are steadily leading the village towards the future.

Evaluated: 2020