Hall with Livestock Stalls @museum.de

M: The elongated hall – "Dahl" in Low German – is the most important working space in the building. With its floor of rammed clay, it takes up almost two thirds of the entire farmhouse. You could drive a cart into the hall and even perform a turn with no problem.

F: After the harvest, the grain was threshed in the hall and the hop cones were picked off the bines. This was also where the grain sheaves were pitched up into the loft (the Hille) with forks. And it was where the chickens stalked around looking for a comfy spot.

M: Besides all that, the hall was the main party space. The livestock stalls along the sides were masked with lengths of cloth and long benches put in front of them. Then people would dance and party in here – the famous "Danz op de deel". And in the old days, it was also where they laid out the dead.

F: On both sides of the hall, there were rows of stalls for the livestock. At the front, by the great door, were the horses, then the cows and pigs, and possibly also sheep and goats. That arrangement isn't accidental: the horses that hauled the wagons were the most important and the most valuable animals on the farm. In case of danger, a fire, for instance, they had to be taken outside at once.

M: Whenever the horses had to work in the bogs or water meadows, they were shod with special shoes. These enlarged their tread and stopped them sinking. The Ammerland farmers' horses had little in common with our smart, elegant racehorses. They were sturdy, strong draft horses that pulled the heavy farm wagons over hill and dale.