Gasthaus
A Gasthaus (also called ''Gasthof'', ''Landhaus'', or ''Pension'') is a German-style inn or tavern with a bar, a restaurant, banquet facilities and hotel rooms for rent.
Gasthäuser are typically found in smaller towns and are often family-owned. ...
'' or ''Schänke''), which was often the seat of the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
and the place of jurisdiction of the village court (''Gerichtskretscham''). Most of the time the ''
lokator
The ''lokator'' (lat. ''locator'': landlord, land allocator, from Latin to allocate, rent, establish, settle or locate; also ''magister incolarum''; in Mecklenburg and Pomerania also or , similar to the ''Reutemeister'' in South Germany) was a m ...
s'' were given this right.
Etymology and names
The word ''Kretscham'' is German and borrowed from the (reconstructed) Old Sorbian word ''krč’ma'' "tavern", "pub" (c.f. Sorbian ''korčma'', pl, karczma, cz, krčma,
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
''cârciumă'', Late-
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
The term ''Kretscham'' for a village pub is still common in
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
today and was also very common in the Prussian
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...
. The associated publican is known as the ''Kretzschmar'', plural ''Kretzschmarn''. The surnames Kretschmar,
Kretschmer
Kretschmer is a German surname. It is an occupational surname literally meaning "innkeeper" associated with the word Kretscham, meaning village inn. It comes from the Middle High German word ''kretschmar'', which was borrowed from a Slavic language ...
Peiskretscham
Pyskowice (german: Peiskretscham) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands.
It is situated in the ...
abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages have been deserted for a variety of causes. Abandonment of villages is often related to epidemic, f ...