What makes a gypsy? If living in colorful wagons and dressing strangely is the requirement, then there are many in Berlin. Not far from the center of the city is the Wagendorf, or “Wagon Village”. Squeezed in between blocks of apartment buildings and a narrow river is a long row of wagons that two dozen people call home.





Even though I walked by the Wagendorf almost everyday for a year, I never truly interacted with the inhabitants. Like most passers-by, I would peek shyly into their encampment in wonder. Living off the grid is an immediate theme. Solar panels and systems to catch rain water are in plain sight on most of the tricked out wagons and broken down RV’s. Despite this commonality, each wagon is delightfully unique, customized to the owner’s needs.





Scattered amongst the wagons is art in all its forms. Sculptures are most plentiful, but carvings and colorful paintings are present as well. One simple wagon functions as public photo gallery, using humble printouts tacked to the wall that can be easily replaced once they are inevitably vandalized. At one end of the Wagendorf is a small stage for live music. During the summer movies are presented via projector and a small screen that all are welcome to enjoy.





This isn’t the only such encampment in Germany, or even in Berlin, but of those I have seen it has the most friendly and progressive vibe. These aren’t people one inch away from living on the streets, begging or desperate. These are a self-sufficient folk who have chosen their own form of freedom, and their satisfaction from the success they’ve found causes the Wagendorf to shine with a fantastically strange aura.