Weavers‘ cottage (Kleinschwarzenbach, Zum Weberhaus 10)

Front of the weavers' cottage, 2016
Side of the house with a temporary cover of the roof

The weavers‘ cottage in the village of Kleinschwarzenbach is one of the historical monuments of the town of Helmbrechts which are listed for protection. It is an important example of the cultural heritage and the way of life of the weavers in pre-industrial times in the Franconian Forest (German: Frankenwald)

Location and setting

The weavers’ cottage is located near the village centre, slightly off the main road to Schwarzenbach am Wald. In the village street called “Zum Weberhaus” there are two other weavers’ cottages, listed for protection. Among other typical features these houses have a very characteristic roof (German name: Frackdach), and it is remarkable that the family and animals lived under the same roof (Byre-dwelling). In this very village there are more former weavers’ cottages. Over the centuries some of them have gone through considerable changes. Yet, the number of weavers’ cottages in Kleinschwarzenbach is striking, so that experts call Kleinschwarzenbach a weavers’ village. The weavers’ cottage museum in the nearby village of Neudorf is another point of interest; it belongs to the neighbouring town of Schauenstein. The Upper Franconian Textile Museum in Helmbrechts explores both the historical origins of weaving and the development of the modern textile industry in the region. The weavers’ cottage of Kleinschwarzenbach was part of a special exposition called “Zwischenlichten” (English “twilight”; here: a regional expression for the time of dawn between the end of work and the time people went to sleep).[1]

Layout and equipment

Weberhaus 10 is a one-story building with a thatched gable roof. It dates back to the 18th century. In the national list of protected buildings it is registered under D-4-75-136-35. Originally, this building is a “drophouse” (German: Tropfhaus or Trüpfhaus, meaning that the plot belonged to the weaver only as far as the rain drops fell from the roof). But over time additional land became a sign of the owners’ modest wealth. The last owners who lived in the cottage were Johann and Marie Peetz. Today the house can be visited. A lot of items of the original equipment have been preserved. The thatch is renewed on a regular basis. The largest room, the “Webstube” (weaving room), is on the ground floor. It was the family’s living room, but the loom was located there, too. The entrance leads to a small hall with access to the Webstube, to the black kitchen, to a cellar, and to the pens for goats and pigs. From here you can also go upstairs to the loft, where tools and provisions were kept. The bedroom was located above the Webstube. Next to the goat and pig pens there is a wooden barn.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weavers‘ cottage (Kleinschwarzenbach, Zum Weberhaus 10).

References

  1. ↑ Report at bayern-online.de (German)

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