Šiauliai’s idea surprised those who saw it all: they bought an old village school



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The idea that you will spend your days in the field has been spinning since childhood; even then a relationship with the people and nature was formed, E. Barzdžius told the tv3.lt news portal.

“It all starts from early childhood, when, probably, like many Lithuanians, we have spent our summers in the village or with my grandmother or relatives. I also allowed it until I was a teenager. Schwarz, from the first weekend after the end of science to the penultimate weekend until the first of September. In the countryside I did everything that people do in the countryside, that is how the feeling of living in the countryside and the relationship with nature in general was formed, ”said the interlocutor.

The best incentive is quarantine

Eugene says the idea of ​​going back to live in town has been on his mind for a long time; In 2009 he remembers having a vision of what a flight from the big cities to the people would be like. It is true that the creation and formation of vision was also influenced by life in Western Europe.

“In 2009, I told the then friend in Italy the whole vision in great detail, which means it had crystallized, even before that. North The information has been thought and compiled for years. Living in different countries, big cities, visiting various communities, towns, cultural, ethnographic places, I gathered information and experience about life in the countryside, respectively, and I saw how this can be adapted to my vision.

The quarantine in 2020 became the starting point: the idea of ​​living in the countryside never faded and has now led to action. The man did not hide, he had criteria according to which he was looking for a suitable place to settle.

“I was looking for an old masonry building, not Soviet white brick. No matter how much I love Lithuanian woodpeckers, I didn’t see myself living that way, so I was looking for a brick building.

I wanted it to be a little bigger so that I could bring my mother to live in old age and, consequently, accept my friend’s parents and have a place for cultural and educational activities ”.

E. Barzdžiai smiled with joy: in a couple of weeks, after discovering an advertisement about the old Kulmenai school for sale and visiting it, he was already convinced that the premises met all the criteria and was a suitable place to create the house Of your dreams.

There really is a lot of space here, more than 400 square meters, but the school has been abandoned since 2007, so when we arrived we were greeted on Saturdays: “Everything is covered with low-value trees and shrubs. Everything was terribly abandoned, but the structure of the building was in good condition. “

Suffered the cold in winter

In the purchased premises, the interlocutor says that he settled in a few weeks later, he did not want to waste a minute. It is true that he moved here in January and the building is in poor condition, the roof is hollow, so it was impossible to heat it.

“It just came to our knowledge then. Every now and then, at first, I would go to my mother for hygiene and she would let me sleep for 1 or 2 nights in a warm bed for a while and return to the constant cold again. Every day I had than forcing me to get out of bed and do the compulsory physical work, I can’t sit down because it was cold, I had to move all the time.

I only heated with physical work, I did not even have an electric heater because I did not see the point where it would have heated only the air and the field. The building did not want to spend thousands of kilowatt-hours in the open air, just because it was to create artificially imaginable comfort, ”said E. Barzdžius about the difficulties.

He decided to renovate the old school with his own hands.

Eugenijus tries to manage the environment and facilities with his own hands, but he does not hide: part of the work must be left in the hands of professionals. And now the man is glad that the roofers have already started work.

“I myself try everything I can, but I have neither the knowledge nor the experience, I am very clearly defined that the roof should be done by those who are capable and capable. I help, I turn everything I can and the roofers have already arrived. Windows will not do such an amount, electricity also, however, there are requirements, such as for plumbing. As far as possible, where I can do it myself, but where certificates are required and required, punching, I will do it professionals.

The most important job is the roof. As long as the roof is open, the whole project is there. This is very concerning as the running water inside is damaging the entire building. The roof will change, then the windows, heating, electricity will change. After all, you do everything at the same time, but you progress in stages ”, names the interlocutor to the works.

Welcome the changes

When asked what progress he has already made, the man says that he does not know, there are no limits to improvement, therefore it is impossible to calculate. However, those around them are happy with the changes in the abandoned school, especially since so many residents have attended this school, so it is shrouded in feelings and memories.

“What I did during those first three months with the environment, all the people around me, most of those around me went to Eyebrow school and they have their emotional connection from the school year, everyone is happy and surprised, asking how Can be done .

I certainly do not come from a wealthy family, without inheritance or savings. Simply, thanks to my great enthusiasm and diligence and the help of good people. People come, offer themselves, want to help this place survive and transform from school to a place of residence, culture, education, sustainable economy.

Progress is being made, the environment is very orderly compared to what it has been. I don’t know how to estimate where 100 is, where 0 is. But everyone says it’s a very big change and it’s good to see it. I can probably only repeat what other people have to say. “

He decided to renovate the old school with his own hands.

E. Barzdžius is grateful to those around him: without the help of neighbors with heavy machinery, the environment would not fix itself so quickly and passersby would not like. When asked about the installation work, Eugene laughs: There will never be an end here.

“It seems to me that it can be improved for a lifetime; with a purpose, it will be possible to return to it after a while. There is no goal here to reach a point, there is a continuous process, like a sandbox where you can play a wide variety of games all the time ”, smiles the interviewee.

They will all fit under the roof

Together with the acquired premises, the Facebook page of Eugenijus “Būroyard” was born. The man does not hide that he wanted to come up with a name that was related to the place and had a meaning, and after all, K. Donelaitis created it in these lands.

In his account, he writes: “The citizen went to the village to learn to live at the rhythm of nature and create a sustainable farm.” Anyway, this is how it goes with the farm: has he already been born? This year, the gardening initiatives are not yet in full swing, but the first steps have already been taken.

“I don’t do enough gardening, because the priority is to tidy up the building. However, there is a small planted nursery, the old stadium turned into an oat field. I started raising sheep, an ancient breed of sheep from the Baltic. It is also possible to keep Lithuanian dark bees, which are not some kind of commercial beekeepers, but who have lived here for thousands of years and I want to continue nurturing them, ”said E. Barzdžius.

Although there is still a lot of work in the forefront, the man already knows that he will not only settle here, but also have a place for educational and cultural activities. He is dedicated to photography and various creative works, so he wants this place to become not only a home, but also a space open to everyone.

“My bridges are wide enough. It would be our own activity, but it does not mean that we do not invite other teachers, other professionals who would also involve the local community that would like to learn. There is enough space to house dozens of people, I think it can be adapted very easily to any activity that is above all sustainable, cultural, perhaps with an organic touch and zero waste. “



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