A Stöckli (Switzerland), ''Korbhaus, Austragshaus, Ausgeding(e)haus, Nahrungshaus'' or ''Auszugshaus'' (Germany) is a multifunctional agricultural building that is traditionally a part of
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
s in Switzerland and parts of Germany.
Etymology
The
Swiss German
Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...
term ''Stöckli'' is a
diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
form of ''Stock'', a term used in the Middle Ages for any stone building in the countryside.
The terms used in Germany make reference to the principal function of the building as a residence for aged farmers after turning over the farm to their heirs.
Construction
Stöcklis were generally only built on larger farms.
Often, they were created through the expansion of existing buildings such as oven sheds.
If newly built, they were generally provided with large cellars to store the farm's produce in, replacing separate cellar houses or field cellars.
The attic was often also used as storage space for grain, while the ground floor and upper floor (if any) were residential areas.
Stöcklis in historically poorer areas tend to be simple, wooden constructions. In more prosperous areas, such as in the
Swiss plateau near
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, they were often prestigious buildings, imitating the architecture and style of aristocratic country estates or country inns.
See also
*
Agriculture in Switzerland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockli
Farms in Switzerland