Amana Colonies

The Community of True Inspiration, a German Pietist group, moved from New York to Iowa in 1855 and built seven villages run entirely in common: no private property, communal kitchens serving fifty people at a time, work assigned by the elders, and no wages. It ran that way for seventy-seven years. In 1932, under the Depression and internal strain, the members voted to separate the church from the economy - the Great Change - and the businesses became a joint-stock company that members held shares in. That company still exists, and Amana appliances grew out of it before being sold on. The villages keep brick and sandstone buildings, communal kitchen houses, a woollen mill and a furniture shop still working.

What you actually see

• Seven villages built in common - no private property until 1932.
• Communal kitchen houses - where fifty people ate at once.
• The Great Change - the 1932 vote that ended the system.
• A working woollen mill and furniture shop - continuing trades.

When to go

May to October; Oktoberfest is in autumn. A full day.

Honest expectations

The villages are spread out and need a car. Much is now shops and restaurants for visitors. Winter reduces opening substantially. The communal period ended nearly a century ago - this is its remains, not a living system.

Nearby

Iowa City is east; Cedar Rapids is north-east.