Hayrack

As Harpfe a structure made of wood is known for drying hay or grain. The upper Gail Valley there is still the older term Köse or Kese. In Slovenia it is called Kozolec or toplar and can be found in western Slovenia still in large numbers.

Development of Harpfe

Out of the need to dry hay for the winter on wet soils and in adverse weather conditions, various methods have been developed in the Alpine area to protect the freshly cut grass from ground moisture and weather, so that it could dry hay. The simplest device for this was the Hiefler, a barked, down pointedly young tree of about 2 to 2.5 meters in height, on the remaining approximately 20 cm long Astansätze the grass was hanged. In other areas, three or more rods were assembled so that they could also pick up fresh grass or grain to dry. These forms are as Dieme or Heumanderl referred to, but are not typical of the area of ​​origin of Harpfe. In order to more hay or grain record, were placed with the time crossbars between correspondingly shaped uprights.

To obtain both uprights evenly spaced between supports for the cross bars instead of the naturally grown branches trimmed rods were attached in holes that they were inclined slightly upwardly and avoided rolling of the crossbars. This device was called rod rider and was like Hiefler only during the hay harvest in the fields. From the rod rider finally the simple Harpfe developed, with stable uprights, in which the rods were inserted into holes. As a further development step then was still a stable covering to the offered the food from direct rain and snow protection. In steep terrain, this was then also supported laterally, to make them insensitive to the wind pressure. For two adjacent simple Harpfen finally the double or Hofharpfe developed. This was not only stable, but offered in their interior space for equipment and in the upper area also has a safe and dry storage space for crops of all kinds

Although the use of Harpfen to the Middle Ages ranges originate most still preserved from the 20th century. Only a few copies of the 19th century are still preserved. This is due to the use of natural wood as the sole building material. Today, more and more Harpfen be renovated not only with this, but also increasingly with dissimilar materials such as sheet metal roofs or concrete columns.

Distribution area

The distribution of Harpfe extended earlier by Croatia on the west Slovenia, parts of Styria, the whole of Upper Carinthia to the top Moelltal, where it was called Hilge, to East and South Tyrol. From the area around San Candido and Sesto comes also the name Harpfe that is proven since the 13th century as such. She has supplanted the older term Köse or Kese. This is found only in the upper Gail Valley, which today has the highest density of these remarkable buildings in Carinthia, as well as Kesne in the Swiss Grisons. In western Slovenia, the term Kozolec for easy and toplar is used for Doppelharpfe. Kozolec and toplar and mixed forms, such as asymmetrical built Doppelharpfen, still affect widely the landscape in western Slovenia and there have become a national symbol.

In the western Alps, the Harpfe occurs until Piedmont and the Upper Valais on, is referred to in Graubünden as " Kesne " and is called " Fava " in the Ladin people of South Tyrol. Except in the Alps Harpfe comes as a drying stand still in Scandinavia and northern Russia before, but it is also in south-east China and adjacent Tibet to find.