Uthland-Frisian house

The uthlandfriesische house, a special form of Geesthardenhaus is a house type which, for centuries has been prevalent in the North Frisian Uthlanden, that is, on the islands, holms and in the marshes of the area.

Method of construction

The houses have all the peculiarities of Friesland Houses: the masonry is made of red brick, and they have a thatched roof and white- or blue-painted window frames and doors. Reminiscent of the early medieval longhouses buildings were originally provided relatively small and with an inner wooden frame. If the massive coastal storms roof and walls cause serious damage, so offered the internal structure of the inhabitants still some protection. In the Uthlandhäusern stable and living room were housed within a building.

The buildings are built along an east -west axis to provide the coming mostly from West Wind smallest possible attack surface. The inputs to the stable and living spaces are located on the sheltered south. Since the house is by design limited in size, you will often find more adjoining barn. It is striking that all buildings of such ensembles have their inputs on the same page. This is particularly striking on the islets. Since livestock farming and seafaring prevalent than making a living in the areas concerned, large storage rooms were not necessary for the harvest, so that the uthlandfriesischen houses except the attic also offer no room for it.

In contrast to the Geesthardenhaus houses on the mainland, the so-called uthlandfriesischen houses on a pointed gable over the front door, which extends to just below the ridge. The Frisian houses of the mainland have a broader, less pointed gables (back gable ). This gable ( broad or sharp) were created so that in a fire the burning thatch of the roof from sliding to the front door, but directed by the gable right and left falls away. The escape route, it remains always free.

The statics of these houses is based on a stud frame, which means that the load of the roof and the hayloft resting on wooden pillars that lie within the non- load-bearing exterior walls. The outer walls are thus used only the weather protection and could thus be designed to be relatively weak from a static point of view. Since islands and islets were largely treeless, we took advantage of the timber framework often as flotsam propelled ship masts and planks.

The foundations of houses without basements usually consists of boulders. In some houses located at the kitchen is a walk-in pantry not, which is lined with boulders embedded in the ground and served as refrigerators and pantry.

Another feature of the houses is the uthlandfriesischen Klöntür. This door is horizontally divided in two, so that the top half can be opened alone, for example, to air. The closed lower half prevented small animals, which were often kept around the house, could get into the room. Through the half-opened door would thus admirably chatting with the neighbors. Chatter = Syltfriesisch " Klöön " ( Low German " chatting "); hence the name of this type of door.

Well-preserved and typical Uthlandhäuser found for example on the Langeneß with the houses Tadsen (built in 1741) and Sönnichsen (now the hostel the local museum ), as well as on the Amrum Öömrang Hus. Built in 1617 the house Olesen, after the demolition and reconstruction today in Wyk auf Foehr, is the oldest surviving building of this type and also belongs today to a local museum.