Chests and Cupboards @museum.de

M: Boarded chests, trunks, coffers – until the 19th century, chests were the most important piece of storage furniture in the house, because they were portable. In the event of fire, they could be grabbed and quickly carried out of the house along with the belongings they contained.

F: They were also genuine status symbols. Depending on the period fashion and the family's wealth, they came in a range of shapes with different lids, metal fittings and carvings. The chests were passed down from one generation to the next. And in the case of Ammerland chests, they're often carved with the name of the woman who owned them.

M: Traditionally, chests were used to store the trousseau of the farmer's daughters. They contained bedlinen, tablecloths or spun linen yarn that could later be used to weave cloth. When the girl married and moved out, the entire chest might go with her – or just its contents.

F: While the girls' trousseau consisted mainly of household linens and textiles, any boys leaving the family might receive livestock or a sum of money, but no farmland.

M: As a rule, the first-born son took over the farm, and all the younger siblings had to find another way of making a living. Some younger siblings stayed on the farm as chief farmhands or hirelings, essentially becoming their elder siblings' servants.

F: If you'd like to know more about how the chests were made and carved, you might like to visit the museum in Specken. It's only a few minutes from here by car, and it has a large collection of chests from various centuries.