Not that I'm complaining, just setting the backdrop for a trip we took with our friends to the Freilichtmuseum in the Schwarzwald. The Freilichtmuseum is an open air museum near the town of Gutach, deep in the agrarian country of the Black Forest. It is beautifully green land highlighted with steep valleys and thick forests. The Freilichtmuseum is a series of a dozen historic farmhomes and outbuildings (bakeries, mills, storehouses) taken from throughout the southern region of the Schwarzwald. The farmhomes are dismantled, transported and maticulously reconstructed with the original materials on the museum grounds. The only building not moved is the one pictured below (with its storehouse on the left), which inspired the idea of this open-air museum.
This farmhome was build in 1601. Yes, that is not a type-o. 407 years ago, this farmhome was built. Like most of the Südschwarzwald farmhomes, it was both house and barn. It housed families, animals and farm equipment. It serverd as a storage barn for feed and a workshop for weaving, forging and carpentry. This farmhouse was in service until about twenty years ago when it became the centerpoint for the museum.
The many valleys of the Schwarzwald gave rise to many, many different and unique communities. While quite similar in many ways (generally poor, rural farmers), the peoples developed varied styles of traditional dress (Trachten) that could identify individuals to a very specific area, sometimes with only a few miles separating the communities.
Above is the traditional Gutach Tracht. Whenever you see a young lady with the hat festooned with red pom-poms, it conjours a traditional Schwarzwald feel. Oh, yeah, when you marry, you trade in the red poms for black ones - I wonder if there is a double meaning hidden in that somewhere... You will notice subtle differences with the Furtwangen Tracht below (and the not-so-subtle differences to the 21st century Tourist Tracht). The communities of Gutach and Furtwangen are less than twenty miles apart.
In the houses that grew at lower elevations, where grain was more plentiful, thatched roofs protected the homes from the elements. The thatching is at least 20 cm (~1 foot) thick and we can personally testify that it keeps the rain out. The homes are kitted out with traditional furniture and accessories. The people of the Schwarzwald lived simple, God-fearing lives. They worked hard - a characteristic that is well known and respected even amongst the industrious German populations of other regions.
Of course, farms needed to be mostly self-sufficient. They grew their own food, sawed planks from hewn logs, ground flax for oil, backed bread 40 loaves at a time, pressed their own juice. We were amazed to find this huge pumpkin growing in the garden of one of the farmhouses (Delynn was added for scale). The Schwarzwald clock was also developed by these inventive fellows. By using wood instead of costly metal, the clocks of the Black Forest became a standard throughout Germany and Europe. Because they were inexpensive, it allowed affordable time-keeping to middle-class families for the first time ever. It seems weird to think of that today, but this was a breakthrough industry in its day.
Of the lesser known skills inherent among farmers of the Schwarzwald is the ability to craft and decorate fiberglass cows. While it may seem that this is a purely fruitless pursuit, it does augment the ticket sales (at €6 a pop) for the museum.
We really had a great time together with our colleagues despite the weather. It is the shared exploration and discovery that makes days like this special. Life is truly a journey, don't get stuck on the side-lines. Travel life, wherever you are. Live a peace with each other. Serve others with abandon, expecting nothing in return. Love all.
Peace be with you.
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