Reconstructed refugee living quarters. Open air museum Beuren.
Date(s): 2007. Photos by Aymar. 1 - 27 of 27 Total. 1787 Visits.
1 BRH, the refugees are coming Each of the show houses comes with sign. (Hope I got this one right.)
2 BRH, Cottage of Estate and Refugee House The board says basically that this mid 19th century building served originally as cottage of estate for parents after they had handed over the running of the farm to the next generation. Ethnic refugees, 8 in number (peak usage), were billeted there after the war. The math is somewhat tricky: two beds, 16 square meter (including attic), 8 refugees. Dwarf size (as in Snow white) would have helped. It is not clear if the cottage stood originally at this side or if the whole building was transplanted. Most likely the latter. I do not know where this particular Aichelau ('Oaklee' = oak and acorn valley) is located. In any case a fairly common topographic name.
3 BRH, vestibule vestibule with pantograph hat rack - the usherette has her day off
4 BRH, terrazzo sink Terrazzo sink. (Have seen tombstones in the Near East made out of the selfsame material. Somewhat cheaper than marble.) The 'torus' pots are custom tailored for partial insertion into a kitchen hearth. The dented central disk can usually be lifted with the help of screwdriver type tool. Additional rings can be removed for over sized pots. The small, oval ladle pitcher may have been used for any number of tasks, including the rinsing of hair. Shower substitute. I am not responsible for the partial loan rendition of 'Sun Lite'. Procter and Gamble territory. Light as sun light.
5 BRH, terrazzo sink
6 BRH, kitchen stove Kitchen stove, wood burning. Three sets of hearth rings. (Second show house but selfsame period.)
7 BRH, window sill Peppermint drops as panacea of last resort. (Picture is somewhat doctered up. Focus problem. Include it only for the shake of the atmosphere.)
8 BRH, window sill of the living room Living room window sill with knitting basket.
9 BRH, spiritual nourriture 'Return of the Deaths'. The small print filling most of the rather tattered front page is no synopsis. Just copyright remarks. No death realm without them. Owner name and address in the lower left hand corner. Can just make out 'Aichelau'. (Unfamiliar with the particular plot. Just for atmosphere, some Pietistic preachers did speculate at the time (understand second sight) if the Autobahn from Stuttgart to Munich would be long enough to hold the number of the resurrected. And while we are at it, if a Pietist tells you that the nightly skies were streaked with baleful, fire breathing comets you had better take heed and transpose that into the appropriate military terms. Not directly war related but vouchsafed: any idiot knows that one can use a cloud chamber for scrying purposes. Between T.S.Eliot and Heisenberg.)
10 BRH, Volksempfänger VE 301 First part as in VW, second part as in radio. Frayed cord, tubed wiring on top of plaster. Three knobs, medium wave only. Still good enough to capture Bush House if you truly wanted. (Favorite brat game, how to scare the living daylight at of your parents, ominous knock at the door.)
11 BRH, Volksempfänger VE 301 Station dial (no station names) with screaming eagle. Some minor cult status. McLuhan, content creation. Not a high priority replacement item after the war whatever you want to make out of it.
12 BRH, cast iron stove
13 BRH, cast iron stove Top door for fuel. Right: Grate shaker lever. Bottom: Ash box door with adjustable draft holes. Not sure if it was just an ordinary stove or a more politically correct 'Volks'-stove.
14 BRH, feather bed A small card (on top of the big pillow) reminds the visitor that this museum exhibit is not for actual use. In clear: No overnight sleep ins.
15 BRH, hot water bottle Hot water bottle. The crocheted jacket would make a rather fetching bikini. (Oops, wrong train of thought.)
16 BRH, Sunday dress it cannot always be plate armor
17 BRH, chair and table The unattached table top can be unfolded. Rather handy for special social occasions. Secret ping-pong playing is less likely. Furniture does not belong. Most likely charity hand downs that have seen better days.
18 BRH, wattled partition wall Revolutionary new technique.
19 BRH, dirty linen corner I think I spy a wasp's nest (next to the rafter). The electrical cable, clip attached, selfsame rafter, does not belong.
20 BRH, refugee suitcase
21 Heukelbach, Glimpse behind the Curtain of Eternity 'Tent meeting' leaflet, sort of. My addition. Just an example for the genre. You can find them occasionally in slightly moldy, fabric bound books pinch hitting as bookmarks. This particular ones dates probably back to the early 50ties. The post war years did see a religious revival. Refugees, who had lost nearly all their temporal possessions, may have been especially susceptible. Communism was not particularly popular at the time. Tainted with too many eviction orders. The particular caritative organization still exists under the stated name (some fund raising). - Technically: Traditional pamphlet layout. Telltale mixture of printed text and headlines in dynamic typeset. Low paper quality (artifact snowflakes).
22 Heukelbach, Did You Hear the Call Pietistic double entendre. Whatever meaning you can find meaning. Nearly as good as espionage. Two color print, somewhat later. Progressive rainbow coalition motive.
23 Field cot Part and parcel of the wider refugee culture. The canvass was nearly non-inflammable. A boon for smokers. > MMSchorndorf
24 packed refugee parambulator Baby buggy modified as all purpose refugee push cart. Double C-spring suspension system. Rear, a badly oxidized milk pail (camouflage paint?). Recommend an all aluminum rebirth. > MMSchorndorf
25 BH, village house Different show house. Living room of a modest village house, early 50tiers. - The stuffing of the couch is showing. Wall painting, Alpine backdrop, some perspective errors.
26 BH, village house The window sill displays more soul food, mainstream harlequin this time. Synopsis, prospective man in white meets nurse/art student. Just an educated guess. Doctors were still allowed to smoke at that time. Not that I would recommend it during a hay wagon ride. (Not sure about that detail.)
27 BH, village house Self flagging mailbox (the slits). The frame of the name plate is open at one of the small ends (starboard side).
