Michelberger Farm
Places
A Conscious Getaway Rooted in Nature
In a world where time moves too fast and choices feel overwhelming, the Michelberger Farm offers a gentle reminder that life can be beautifully simple. Tucked away just outside Berlin, this farm-based sanctuary, created by Tom and Nadine Michelberger, is more than a getaway — it’s a living, breathing example of a slower, more conscious way of life.
A Design for Slowness and Simplicity
Much like their iconic Michelberger Hotel in Berlin, the Farm embodies a design language that is both thoughtful and understated. The architecture doesn’t impose on its surroundings but rather blends harmoniously with the landscape. Raw materials, honest textures, and a sense of open space create an atmosphere that invites you to exhale and slow down.
For Tom and Nadine, the farm is a distillation of their values: “The Farm is for us the essence of everything we have created so far,” they explain. It’s a place where aesthetics meet purpose — where design is not just about form, but about facilitating a return to the essential things in life: good food, human connection, and respect for nature’s rhythm.
The original impulse behind the farm was deeply personal. “We wanted to grow our own vegetables and reconnect with our favorite form of society — the village,” Tom recalls. In contrast to the global buzz that defines their hotel, the farm offers a different kind of gathering. “In Berlin, the world meets every day at our hotel. Here, a new family comes together at the table every evening.”
This daily ritual of shared meals is at the heart of the Retreat experience. It’s about community, not in a curated, programmed sense, but in the most organic way — people coming together over food, conversation, and the quiet joy of being present.
Syntropic Farming: A Living Food Forest
The Michelberger Farm is not a showcase for polished perfection. It is alive, evolving, and deeply intertwined with its environment. Based on the syntropic principles of Ernst Götsch, they have created a food forest — a self-sustaining ecosystem that nurtures the soil, increases biodiversity, and nourishes the people who care for it. “It’s a forest that feeds us, fertilizes the earth, and regenerates life,” says Tom.
Their vision of food goes beyond farm-to-table—it’s about rebuilding a relationship with nature’s cycles. For them, “slowness” isn’t just an abstract concept, it’s as practical as deciding which herbs to sprinkle over a salad instead of choosing between 30 types of detergent in a supermarket aisle.
Spending time at the Michelberger Farm reshapes your perspective on what it means to be “productive.” For Tom and Nadine, a future where local farmers deliver freshly harvested produce to city chefs each morning is not a romantic ideal, but a tangible goal. “That would be productivity, maximum enjoyment, and perfectly in tune with the times.”
Being attuned to the seasons has influenced their own approach to time and work. Their days are structured around nature’s pace—morning walks through the food forest, and gathering in the evening for a sunset Rosé Spritz. These daily rituals ground them, anchoring life in simplicity and presence.
If there’s one word that defines the Michelberger Farm, it’s community. Whether among the team or with their guests, connection is the driving force. “It’s the core,” they emphasize. The farm isn't about staged experiences but about facilitating authentic encounters — where conversations at the dinner table can inspire, inform, and genuinely move you.
When asked what they hope guests take away from their visit, Tom’s answer is simple yet profound:
“To remember that everything could actually be so simple.”
