Middle German house

This rural type of farmstead still forms part of the scene in many villages in the central and southern areas of Germany.

The northern boundary of its distribution area is roughly where the Central Uplands merge into the North German Plain.

The front door is thus at the side of the building and opens into the Ern, a Franconian expression for the central hallway or Flur, and cooking area.

From the 17th century the upper storey was built as a jetty and had artistic features such as beam heads (Balkenköpfe) and wall plates (Schwellen).

In this period, the larger farms were built with several buildings that served as the living accommodation, barn and stable or byre of a two-, three- or four-sided farmyard.