How-to-GemSe

Here you will find (almost) everything you need to know about your stay at the GemSe – from travel options, packing aids, room utilisation tips and price recommendations to information about the surrounding area.

Here you can download all the information.

Further information and a collection of trip recommendations are also available on site in the How–to–GemSe folder. You will find the folder in the bar (black with a golden GemSe on the front).

General information
  • Great that you are coming!
  • There is a Signal group (Current gemse) for everyone who is currently on site – ask your contact person to add you to the group chat for the duration of your visit.
  • Please always remove the key after locking the front door.
  • The house is not yet fully accessible – we are currently working on increasing the accessibility step by step.
Travel options
  • Travelling by public transport by train to ‘Nötsch im Gailtal’ (30 min from Villach main station).

    • From Nötsch: GO-Mobil shared taxi service (Mon-Sat 08:00-24:00, Sun: 08:00-22:00): Journey bookings at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) before departure at +436646036039611. A journey with the GO-Mobil costs € 3.80 in advance (at member companies) and € 5.20 in the vehicle. Tickets can be purchased at the GemSe and are available on request on arrival.
    • Alternatively: by bus from Villach main station (takes 1h), note not during school holidays, Mon-Fri there is a connection at 12:40 with a change in Bad Bleiberg directly to Wertschach.
    • On foot from Emmersdorf: various hiking trails lead to Wertschach (duration approx. 1h) (see openstreetmap – path through the forest from Emmersdorf railway station).
    • By bike from Nötsch: 30 min (uphill)
  • There are car parking spaces in front of the house.
Packing aid
  • Slippers, sun cream, earplugs …
  • In general, there are basic groceries, but GemSe does not take responsibility for your food. Make sure you have what you need yourself.
  • Sleeping bag or duvet covers (bed linen and towels are available on site, but you are welcome to bring your own so that there is less laundry).
  • If you come to write/work and need well-functioning internet in your room, please provide it yourself. We are currently working on expanding and improving the internet connection on site.
Accommodation
  • There are different sleeping options. Most of the rooms have double beds, there is one shared room, one single room and one with bunk beds. Many of the rooms currently have plastic or carpeted floors. In summer it is also possible to sleep in a car, van or tent (by arrangement).
  • For orientation: Next to the staircase, to the left of the kitchen in the foyer by the main entrance, there is a room plan. It shows which rooms have which numbers or names. Look for the room that has been booked for you.
  • On arrival, you can decide whether you would like to use the bed linen provided, wash and hang up the bed linen straight away if necessary, or whether you would like to use your own bed linen or a sleeping bag. At the end of your stay, you can leave the bed made up.
Community areas
  • Kitchen

Groceries and food can be taken from the communal kitchen. There is enough space to store your own food in a cool and dry place.
In general, all spices and basic foodstuffs are available. However, you are responsible for your own food and needs and it is helpful that if you consume something, you also ensure that it is replenished. If you are not able to shop, you can at least write it down for the next time shopping.
There is a gastro dishwasher in the communal kitchen. You can find more detailed explanations about the kitchen in the information folder on site.

  • Wintergarden with library

This is the room to chill out and enjoy. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to heat in winter, so we only heat it when there are a lot of people in the house. The books in the library are for reading on site. If you really want to borrow a book, please write it on the list in the library.

  • Bar

There’s a kettle, coffee machine, teas… This room is easier to heat. When there aren’t so many people in the house, this is the place to eat and hang out. There is also a puzzle table in the parlour 🙂 The light switch is located at the beginning of the stairs to the sink directly under the counter.

  • Movement room

There is a music system here that can be connected with an aux cable. There are yoga mats, cushions and sports equipment in the short couch (please leave them in the room). There is also a punching bag and a massage table.
Please use the board on the door to show if the room is currently in use.

  • Event room

Here you can play billiards and table tennis. There are instruments on the stage that can be used with care. Please be considerate of the rooms next door, as they may be in use. Please check with the others in the house regarding noise levels. The guest garden is also accessible from here.

  • Sauna

The sauna is in the barn below the car park. A detailed description is posted there. We recommend an additional fee of approx. 5 euros for the use of the sauna. You can use the water hose below the sauna to cool off between sauna sessions.

  • Konstnix shop

The Kostnix shop is to the left of the main entrance. Take what you need and leave what you no longer need (please clean!).

  • Workshop

The workshop is on the other side of the road behind the centre gate. An introduction is required for the larger machines (such as the tilting saw). Hand tools can be used if they are returned afterwards.

  • Bicycle room

Next to the entrance to the villa (outbuilding) there is a door to the bicycle room. Here are our private bicycles, but also guest bicycles that still need to be repaired. If you have travelled with a bike, you are welcome to park it there. If you would like to borrow a bike, please ask first.

  • Garden

The garden is below the car park. More and more vegetables are to be grown there over the next few years. At the moment, there is not enough to supply us. If something can be harvested in the garden by yourself, it will be written down in the kitchen. Weeding is always welcome if you know your way around. Our beehives are next to the garden. Please be careful if you are allergic.

Residents’ flat

On the first floor is the private flat of the people who live here. Please only knock here in an emergency. The retreat is important.

On departure
  • Vacuum the room.
  • Mop surfaces in the bathroom that you have used if you are in a cleaning mood, also common areas:

    • Carpets in the foyer and in the bar
    • Mop the kitchen
    • WC on the ground floor
  • Please take away or dispose of leftover food (especially food you have cooked).
  • Think about how much money you would like to leave here for your stay (there is a tin at the counter in the bar. There is also a text for self-assessment).
  • If you are alone in the house: lock up and put the key in the key safe right outside the front door.
Emergencies
  • The emergency numbers in Austria are 144 (ambulance), 122 (fire brigade) and 133 (police).
  • First aid kits: on the table in the Kostnix shop.
  • Fire extinguishers: there is one on each floor.
  • Fuse box: on the ground floor in the foyer.
  • Medical facilities nearby:

    • Nearest pharmacy (15 min by car): Schutzengel-Apotheke, Mühlbacherweg 4, 9530 Bad Bleiberg
    • General practitioner (15 min by car): Dr Druml, Lindenweg 1, 9530 Bad Bleiberg, panel doctor +4342442969
    • Veterinary surgeon (15 min by car): Dipl-TA Reinhold Strieder, Saak 111, 9611 Nötsch im Gailtal, +4342562673
    • Nearest hospital in Hermagor (25 min by car): Radniger Str. 12, 9620 Hermagor
Informationen about the surrounding area

The village of Wertschach/Dvorče is located in the south of Carinthia/Koroška, not far from the Slovenian and Italian borders. The village is currently home to around 100 people (and many animals).

There are no shops in Wertschach itself. You have to bring your own food. The GemSe tries to provide a basic stock of food, but it would be great if important things could be bought.

  • Kovšca shopping centre: ADEG & DIY store in Nötsch (http://www.kovsca.at/) Nötsch 64, 9611 Nötsch im Gailtal
  • Supermarkets: Spar, Nötsch 332 & Billa, Feistritz an der Gail 300
  • Brugger farm shop in Kerschdorf, Kerschdorf 19, 9612 Kerschdorf (40 minutes each way on foot, 5 minutes by car, 10 minutes by bike): Self-service shop, opening hours Mon-Sun 07:00-21:00,local products (more expensive than supermarket): Vegetables, dairy products, pasta, honey, vinegar, very tasty ice cream, cash only!
  • In Karnitzen 2: Organic farm – vegetables/young plants (on order and Thursday farm sale), Tel.: 06649770021 (Christiane Halder)
  • Pension Andritsch in St. Georgen (5 minutes’ walk): They make Kärnter Kasnudeln (and many other varieties) themselves. Can be picked up there (frozen) (+4342562742)
Financial matters

The project location is not privately owned, but belongs to the association. The running costs for this large house amount to approx. 21,000 euros per year, on top of which there are constantly additional costs for renovations and maintenance. We pay a tourist tax of 2.70 euros per person per night.

Price recommendation for the stay:

  • 10-15 euros / night: if you have to do without something else to be able to go on holiday and everything is in short supply right now.
  • 15-25 euros / night: If, for example, you are travelling on later and are also spending money on accommodation there, you don’t have to do without anything else and are generally relaxed about your financial situation.
  • 25-? Euro / night: If you don’t have to think about money and can afford what you want.

For camping, you can simply decide for yourself what you can afford. If none of this is possible for you, please contact us and we will find a solution.

Recommendation for groups/seminars/camps Room hire per day:

  • Kitchen: 50-150 Euro
  • Movement room: 50-150 Euro
  • Event room / theatre: 50-500 Euro
  • Winter garden: 50-150 Euro
  • Catering, if desired: Food costs per person: 8-12 Euro/day Full catering (breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and cake): 300 Euro/day
  • Hosting: Minimum for one week: 550 Euro, costs for NGOs 1500 Euro

If groups need more space:

There is a gymnasium in St.Georgen (5 min walk) including a large meadow in front of it. Is rented by the municipality of Nötsch (5 Euro/h, as of August 2023).

Other donations that GemSe is happy to receive:

  • Bicycle for visitors (would need good gears due to hills).
  • Seat cushions, yoga mats, exercise mats, blankets
  • Bathrobes