M: In the Ammerland region, a "Bargfred" – the local pronunciation of the German word for keep – isn't the defensive tower of a medieval castle, but a small, uninhabited granary on an artificial island. But it's based on the same idea: keeping something safe by putting it behind a barrier.
F: And the protective moat around the grain store could actually have been borrowed from the medieval castle. Wilhelm Gleimius, one of the Local History Society's founders, described the appearance and purpose of a Bargfred as follows:
M: "In the olden days, before the invention of gunpowder, every farmstead had a Bargfred. This was surrounded by a deep ditch. The bridge that [...] led across to the Bargfred could be taken down. The door [...] only had a small sliding panel at the top, and windows were entirely lacking. [...] In those times, farms were generally very isolated, and if they were attacked by roaming gangs, the Bargfred was intended as a place of safety for the wife and children, who could take the major valuables and quickly take refuge in the Bargfred. They pulled up the bridge behind them, took shelter [...] and barricaded the solid door, which only had a small sliding panel at the top, through which they could watch the attackers. If the attackers managed to cross the ditch and break down the door, then the final refuge was the strongly secured loft, where they could [...] pull up the ladder and barricade the hatch. Meanwhile, the farmer and his hands would be hoping for help from the generally distant neighbours in order to rescue his family in the Bargfred.
Fotos: © Tanja Heinemann
