Gulf house
Encyclopedia
A Gulf house also called a Gulf farmhouse (Gulfhof) or East Frisian house (Ostfriesenhaus), is a type of farmhouse that emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries in North Germany. It is timber-framed and built using post-and-beam construction. Initially Gulf houses appeared in the marsh
es, but later spread to the Frisia
n geest
. They were distributed across the North Sea coastal regions from West Flanders through Holland, East Frisia
and Oldenburg
as far as Schleswig-Holstein
(as a variant called the Haubarg
). This spread was interrupted by the Elbe-Weser Triangle
which developed a type of Low German house instead, better known as the Low Saxon house.
s (Altfriesischer Bauernhaus or oud-Friese boerenhuis), a type of unit farmstead (Wohnstallhaus). These small buildings had enough space for the farmers because they did not have to store large harvests. Cereal farming was only possible on a few higher-lying areas, whilst the poorly drained marshes were only suitable as grassland
and pastureland. As drainage technology improved with the use of windmill
s and watermill
s the fertile marshy areas could be dried out and used extensively for grain farming. In order to store the growing quantities of harvest a house with greater capacity was needed, which is how the Gulf house came into being.
In one of the side bays were compartments or stalls for keeping cattle (kaustâl). The walkway running in front of them was called the kaugâng ("cow passage"). At the far end there was traditionally the privy (gemak).
At the gable end of the working area were two doors: a large barn door (sğüerdööer) on one side, that gave access for wagons to the threshing floor (dösdêl) and the Gulf, and a small, double door (messeldööer) on the other side. The latter derived its name because it was the door through which cattle dung was carried from the kaugâng (dung = mäers; remove dung = messen).
There was often a semi-circular window in a metal frame over the large barn door which was designed in the form of a stylised rising sun.
The front part of the middle section, at the gable end, in which the horse stable (pêrstâl) was housed, was surrounded by a dividing wall and was given a cover, so that an additional floor (a so-called hiel, plural: hillen) was created on which extra hay for winter feeding was stored.
The weight of the roof was not carried by the outside walls on this type of building, but by an internal group of posts and beams (Ständerwerk or stååpelwârk).
The roof covering of the living area was traditionally made entirely of red clay tiles. By contrast, the lower one-third of the barn roof was covered with tiles, but the upper two-thirds were thatched. The roof was usually in the shape of a half-hipped roof. Where only one end was half-hipped this was the wind-facing gable end (usually the barn gable). The hip is often surmounted, even today, by a decorative staff or Malljan, a device that echoes the mystical beliefs of earlier times.
One feature of many older Gulf farmhouses is the so-calle Upkammer (upkååmer), a room in the living quarters, that is higher than the rest of the rooms because it sits above a half-sunken cellar. This can often be recognised from the outside of such buildings by the window arrangement.
The Gulf house structure is found, albeit sometimes with major or situation-specific modifications such as a side entrance, both on large farm buildings (plååts) as well as on smaller buildings including farm labourers' houses.
(municipality of Krummhörn
, Aurich district) a former Gulf farmhouse has been converted into a primary school. In Hollen (municipality of Uplengen
, Leer district) the local Sparkasse bank has moved into a former Gulf farmhouse. The conservation society, NABU
, runs an educational establishment for 'near-natural' farming in a Gulf house in Wiegboldsbur
(municipality of Südbrookmerland
, Aurich
).
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, but later spread to the Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
n geest
Geest (topography)
Geest is a type of slightly raised landscape that occurs in the plains of in Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils, usually mantled by a heathland vegetation, comprising glacial deposits left behind after the last ice age during the...
. They were distributed across the North Sea coastal regions from West Flanders through Holland, East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
and Oldenburg
Oldenburg Land
The Oldenburg Land is a region and regional association in the German state of Lower Saxony in the area of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg , the later Free State of Oldenburg and administrative district of Oldenburg without its exclaves, along the rivers Hunte and Hase...
as far as Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
(as a variant called the Haubarg
Haubarg
A Haubarg, rarely also Hauberg, is the typical farmhouse of the Eiderstedt peninsula on the northwest coast of Germany and is a type of Gulf house...
). This spread was interrupted by the Elbe-Weser Triangle
Elbe-Weser Triangle
The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"...
which developed a type of Low German house instead, better known as the Low Saxon house.
Emergence
The Gulf house owes its emergence to economic circumstances. Before its invention the folk of the East Frisian North Sea marshes lived in Old Frisian farmhouseOld Frisian farmhouse
An Old Frisian farmhouse is a small unit farmhouse that combined the farmer's living area and animals' stalls, and had limited space for storing harvest products. It was widely distributed across the North German Plain until the middle of the 17th century and was the forerunner of the Gulf house....
s (Altfriesischer Bauernhaus or oud-Friese boerenhuis), a type of unit farmstead (Wohnstallhaus). These small buildings had enough space for the farmers because they did not have to store large harvests. Cereal farming was only possible on a few higher-lying areas, whilst the poorly drained marshes were only suitable as grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and pastureland. As drainage technology improved with the use of windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s and watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s the fertile marshy areas could be dried out and used extensively for grain farming. In order to store the growing quantities of harvest a house with greater capacity was needed, which is how the Gulf house came into being.
Design
The typical Gulf house consisted of a living space (fööeräen) and an adjoining working area (achteräen) with stable and barn. By extending the roof downwards in the rear part of the house, side bays (Abseiten) were created, the so-called ūtkübben, so that the barn area became wider than the living area. The centre of the stable and barn section formed the Gulf, a storage area for hay, harvest products and tools, which gave this type of house its name.In one of the side bays were compartments or stalls for keeping cattle (kaustâl). The walkway running in front of them was called the kaugâng ("cow passage"). At the far end there was traditionally the privy (gemak).
At the gable end of the working area were two doors: a large barn door (sğüerdööer) on one side, that gave access for wagons to the threshing floor (dösdêl) and the Gulf, and a small, double door (messeldööer) on the other side. The latter derived its name because it was the door through which cattle dung was carried from the kaugâng (dung = mäers; remove dung = messen).
There was often a semi-circular window in a metal frame over the large barn door which was designed in the form of a stylised rising sun.
The front part of the middle section, at the gable end, in which the horse stable (pêrstâl) was housed, was surrounded by a dividing wall and was given a cover, so that an additional floor (a so-called hiel, plural: hillen) was created on which extra hay for winter feeding was stored.
The weight of the roof was not carried by the outside walls on this type of building, but by an internal group of posts and beams (Ständerwerk or stååpelwârk).
The roof covering of the living area was traditionally made entirely of red clay tiles. By contrast, the lower one-third of the barn roof was covered with tiles, but the upper two-thirds were thatched. The roof was usually in the shape of a half-hipped roof. Where only one end was half-hipped this was the wind-facing gable end (usually the barn gable). The hip is often surmounted, even today, by a decorative staff or Malljan, a device that echoes the mystical beliefs of earlier times.
One feature of many older Gulf farmhouses is the so-calle Upkammer (upkååmer), a room in the living quarters, that is higher than the rest of the rooms because it sits above a half-sunken cellar. This can often be recognised from the outside of such buildings by the window arrangement.
The Gulf house structure is found, albeit sometimes with major or situation-specific modifications such as a side entrance, both on large farm buildings (plååts) as well as on smaller buildings including farm labourers' houses.
Other uses
The restructuring of agriculture and the closure of farms has provided opportunities for Gulf farmhouses to be used for other rural purposes. For example, in LoquardLoquard
Loquard is an old village, now part of Krummhörn in Ostfriesland in the modern nation-state of Germany. It is part of the Aurich rural governmental district of the state of Lower Saxony ....
(municipality of Krummhörn
Krummhörn
Krummhörn is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Ems estuary, approximately 15 km southwest of Norden, and 10 km northwest of Emden....
, Aurich district) a former Gulf farmhouse has been converted into a primary school. In Hollen (municipality of Uplengen
Uplengen
Uplengen is a municipality in the Leer district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Parts of the municipality:* Bühren* Großoldendorf* Großsander* Hollen* Jübberde* Klein Remels* Kleinoldendorf* Kleinsander* Meinersfehn* Neudorf* Neufirrel* Nordgeorgsfehn...
, Leer district) the local Sparkasse bank has moved into a former Gulf farmhouse. The conservation society, NABU
Nabu
Nabu is the Assyrian and Babylonian god of wisdom and writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort, Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of Ea. Nabu's consort was Tashmetum....
, runs an educational establishment for 'near-natural' farming in a Gulf house in Wiegboldsbur
Wiegboldsbur
The formerly independent village of Wiegboldsbur in East Frisia in North Germany has been part of the municipality of Südbrookmerland since the regional reform of 1972. Wiegboldsbur is a ribbon development and lies on the Großes Meer about 10 km northwest of the sea port of Emden...
(municipality of Südbrookmerland
Südbrookmerland
Südbrookmerland is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 7 km west of Aurich. Its seat is in the village Victorbur....
, Aurich
Aurich (district)
Aurich is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the North Sea, the districts of Wittmund and Leer, and the city of Emden.- History :...
).