Vehicles @museum.de

M: Nothing could be done on an Ammerland farm without vehicles. Spring wagons and farm carts were indispensable.

F: While the heavy, rugged farm cart with its large wheels and wide rims was used to carry equipment, peat or tree trunks, the spring wagon on show here was more lightweight and manoeuvrable, plus – as the name suggests – it had spring suspension!

M: The spring wagon was a real all-purpose vehicle. As a box wagon, it was perfect for carrying smaller and lighter loads: ideal for sacks of grain that needed taking to the mill, for shopping trips to cattle and produce markets or even for the Sunday drive to church. If people needed to be carried, you simply added extra seating.

F: The spring wagon was also used for excursions into the surrounding area. Four horses were hitched up, and then children, parents, grandparents, teachers – they all clambered up on to the wagon and off they went – with much merriment and singing. A few kilometres to the next village or the one after that, or maybe even to Oldenburg and back again. What more was needed for a perfect day out!

M: In the old days, when winters were harsher, a lot of wagons had specially adapted runners which turned them into a sleigh. In winters with deep snow, the wheels were removed and replaced by the runners. Which made for an even faster trip into town!

F: If you're a fan of historical vehicles, you might like to visit the Local History Society's museum in Specken. It has more than a dozen wagons, carriages and coaches in its collection. From a horse-drawn coupé via a hunting trap to one of the Ammerland region's last horse-drawn hearses.