A ''Treppenspeicher'' (literally "staircase store") is the German term for a
granary or secondary farm building used for storage and is typical of the
Lüneburg Heath area in northern Germany. The upper storey of the store was usually accessed via a flight of steps on the outside of the building, usually at one of the
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
ends, thus giving the building its name.
[''Treppenspeicher in der Lüneburger Heide'']
at lueneburger-heide.de. Retrieved 03 November 2021.
Description
''Treppenspeicher'' are only relatively small buildings. They are witness to the craftsmanship of carpenters in the farming community. Their solid, wooden construction ensured that the interior stayed dry and they were so tightly planked that the stored produce was protected from mice.
These stores used to be built within sight but at a distance from the main farmhouse. This ensured that, if the farmhouse caught fire, the fire would not spread to the stores. They were often used as sleeping accommodation for farm hands.
[
''Treppenspeicher'' were typical of the Lüneburg Heath. Here they remained in use until well into the 19th century. They increasingly disappeared however because they are no longer practical today. Nowadays the storerooms are normally part of the farmhouse itself.
In former times there was at least one, but usually several, stores on each heath farm, serving all sorts of purposes. They were used to store ]grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...
, buckwheat, flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
, cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
, linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
, wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...
, honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
, meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
, bacon
Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...
, and clothes
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
. They were often used as sleeping accommodations for the farmhand
A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including har ...
s.
Surviving ''Treppenspeicher''
Today, ''Treppenspeicher'' may be visited at the following places on the Lüneberg Heath:[
* Lutterloh
* Hermannsburg Local History Museum
* Schröershof and Schäferhof Farms in Neuenkirchen
* Stimbekhof Farm in Oberhaverbeck
* Peetshof Farm in Wietzendorf
* De Theeshof Local History Museum in Schneverdingen
]
Gallery
Image:TrpSpchHiesterhf.jpg, 400-year-old ''Treppenspeicher'' on the Hiesterhof
Image:TreppenspeicherOheOberohe.jpg, 1709 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Oberohe
Image:TreppenspchBaven1767.jpg, 1767 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Baven
Image:TreppenspeicherWeesen.jpg, 1808 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Weesen
Bollersen Nr.8 Speicher @02.JPG, Protected 1839 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Bollersen ( Celle county)
TreppSpeichWil.JPG, ''Treppenspeicher'' in Wilsede
References
{{Reflist
Bibliography
* Eitzen, Gerhard (2006). ''Bauernhausforschung in Deutschland: gesammelte Aufsätze 1938 bis 1980''. PD-Verlag.
* Stuhrwohldt, Alfred (1936). ''Die Treppenspeicher in der Lüneburger Heide'', Brunswick: TH Carola-Wilhelmina.
Granaries
Lüneburg Heath