Settlements Lüneburg Heath

wilsede heath museum – typical timber-framed hall house (fachhallenhaus)

lüneburg heath relatively sparsely populated due poor soils in area. region dominated heath farming less intensive form of land usage necessary large areas of barren terrain , heathland. important economic sideline of past centuries heathland beekeeping. villages encircled small tracts of woodland, interrupted fields or meadows, , merged without clear boundaries surrounding landscape. farmsteads arranged relatively arbitrarily, many stood close 1 another; others spread out @ distance each other. loose cluster villages (lockere haufendörfer). in order prevent cattle trampling flat gardens attached houses, village roads enclosed wooden fences and, later, characteristic stone walls. typical design of farmhouse fachhallenhaus, large timber-framed single building, in people , animals lived under single roof. each village had relatively few complete farms; in wilsede there four, in church village (kirchdorf) of undeloh there eleven, exception. in addition there koten (small, single houses), sheep pens , shared bakehouses. farms themselves, however, large. in wilsede features of heath village described here may still seen. wilsede heath museum (heidemuseum wilsede) established in fachhallenhaus , gives insight working , living conditions of heathland farm around 1850. walsrode heath museum 1 of first german open air museums , portrays life of heathland folk. in rural parts of region still use today low german dialect called heidjerisch. word derives name given inhabitants of lüneburg heath – heidjer.