Station: [7] Upper Floor: Farming and Country Crafts

M: "From field to plate" is the motto in this room. This is where you'll discover the most important tools and techniques that were used for centuries in the area around Bürgel, both in farming and the manual trades.

F: There was no specialized agriculture in the middle Saale valley. The farmers had a broad skill base and used their land in a variety of ways: from beekeeping to livestock farming to crop growing and grazing. Each family was involved in farming to some greater or lesser degree, even if the breadwinner's main occupation was actually blacksmith, wheelwright, innkeeper, butcher or baker.

M: Feel free to take as long as you like to explore the local people's everyday working lives in times gone by. 

F: Even now, most people will probably be familiar with butter churns, ploughs and bridles. But what about the various types of horseshoe? And what is a bilberry comb?

M: And can you guess why a master baker might come to the conclusion that the devil was messing with his business? As you explore this room, you'll discover some clues.

If you head all the way to the back, you'll not only come across the baker's delivery bicycle, but also the cart used by master potter Arthur Reichmann to take his goods to market roughly a century ago.

F: And if you want to find out more about Bürgel's unique pottery tradition, there's the second part of our audio tour to look forward to. It not only features the monastery church right opposite the museum, but also all the pottery workshops that are still operating in Bürgel and Thalbürgel today. 

M: So stay tuned. We'll be back in a moment ... to take you on a stroll around Bürgel and Thalbürgel.