The Single Room House @museum.de

M: The Eenrumhus – the Single Room House – is the smallest residential building on the Open Air Museum site.

F: It has a large roof with an apex that juts out like a Smurf's cap, a semi-circular apron covering the entrance area, and small, leaded windows on either side of the great door. Overall, it looks friendly and inviting.

M: The Hirelings' House, the Farmhouse and the Dweersack once stood on other farmsteads and were moved here. But the Single Room House is one of the few buildings that were erected right here on site as a museum building.

F: Constructed in 1941 by the Local History Society, the Single Room House was originally home to a shepherd who lived here for a number of years. In the 1950s, it housed a pottery. Today, it not only features a display of agricultural implements, it also provides a detailed introduction to the craft of the shoemaker.

M: Under Ammerland inheritance law, the eldest son was the main heir. Only he could take over the parental farm. So any younger siblings had to find work elsewhere. If they were lucky and played their cards right, they were hired to work on their brother's farm or a neighbouring farm, started a family and lived in a nice hirelings' house. Those who were less fortunate had to eke out a living as best they could and might end up living in a Single Room House like this one.

F: But even in a place like this, people lived happy lives – as you'll hear at our next stop.