Sarantuya and Jan Philipp live in a real Mongolian yurt, only about 100 meters as the crow flies from the urban center of a large city in southern Germany. Sarantuya is a native of Mongolia and lived her entire childhood in a yurt. Surrounded by many animals, she spent most of her time outside in the fresh air. Her family owned sheep, pigs and even a horse. Sarantuya wished such a life for her own children. Jan also grew up very close to nature in the countryside. After the two met, they traveled through Mongolia together and slept in yurts. Since then, Jan's desire to live in a yurt has never left him. And so, in the summer of 2017, the two commissioned the production of a handmade yurt in Mongolia. At the time, they paid just under 4,000 euros for the yurt; in the meantime, the production costs have tripled. The yurt consists of five scissor lattices, a roof rim, pillars supporting the roof rim, wool felt, a cotton layer and a rainproof cover. The construction of such a yurt with hand-painting of the roof struts, the roof wreath and the pillars in the middle takes about one month. Sarantuya's brothers took care of shipping the yurt to Germany in Mongolia. A prerequisite for the import was a safety certificate proving that only harmless materials had been used. In addition to the yurt, Sarantuya and Jan also had a hand-painted table and chairs made in Mongolia. It took about half a year for the yurt to arrive in Germany. Sarantuya and Jan leased a plot of land of about 4,000 m² on the outskirts of the city. On it, Jan built an under-ventilated wooden floor made of Douglas fir with the help of some friends: "Douglas fir is very weatherproof and robust. But we built the floor a bit too small at the beginning and then had to improvise a bit when the yurt arrived." The yurt's furnishings are mostly recycled or discarded furniture from bulky waste and relatives. The two have also attached some souvenirs from Mongolia to the scissors lattice. The house is heated by a wood stove and ventilated through the roof. There are three fixed beds and as many variable beds as the yurt floor allows. Showering is possible outside on the property with cold water only. There is no electricity. Cooking is done over an open fire or with gas in the discarded caravan of Jan's aunt. Washing up is done outside with a view over the whole town. And even when going to the toilet, a 180-degree view can be enjoyed from the dry separation toilet. The family has rented an apartment near the yurt, where they do their laundry and take showers in the winter. They also sleep there regularly. The family would very much like to live exclusively in the yurt, but this is not permitted by the authorities at the moment. Besides Sarantuya and Jan, the family also includes Jan's son Janusch, Sarantuya's daughter Merlin and their common son Filip Anand. The children love to spend time with the animals. There are two pygmy goats, six sheep, two cats and seven guinea pigs on the property. Sarantuya and Jan have many plans for the yurt and the property. For example, Jan would like to build a new barn for the animals, with space on the roof for some solar panels. In this way, some electricity needs could be met on site. Both of them also dream of having their own natural kindergarten. Currently Sarantuya works at a Waldorf school and Jan at a Waldorf kindergarten. Both have already visited the property several times with groups of children. Sarantuya says: "It is so nice to watch the children letting off steam here. Interacting with animals and nature is so important and such a beautiful thing. And especially for kids growing up in a city, this is something special again." A film by Feline Gerhardt (editor), Alex Kühn (camera, sound) and Farina Hasak (editing). 00:00 Living in a Mongolian yurt 02:43 Heating & ventilation 07:18 Garden 07:53 Caravan/cooking area 08:47 Toilet 09:24 Shed