A stube (stiva ( Romansh), stüa ( Ladin and Lombard) is the traditional living area of the German-speaking Alpine areas (

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

), and the Italian regions of

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

and Ladinia. It is a room heated by a large stone- or tile-covered

stove A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for - local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal. Due to concerns about air pollu ...

and entirely lined with wood to keep the heat inside; the woods mostly used for the wall panels are

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

, and

Swiss pine ''Pinus cembra'', also known as Swiss pine, Swiss stone pine, Arolla pine, Austrian stone pine, or just stone pine, is a species of pine tree in the subgenus ''Strobus''. Description The Swiss pine is a member of the white pine group, ''Pinu ...

. The logs are inserted into the stove through a small door that opens on an adjacent room, usually the kitchen or the corridor. In the beginning, the term ''stube'' was used to indicate a room heated by a stove where the family would gather to chat, sew, weave, pray, and even sleep. Beyond their original function, during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, richly decorated ''stüe'' quickly became status symbols, serving as a "state room" in noble houses, where guests were welcomed, private or community notarial deeds were drawn up, and meetings were held. In another sense derived from the concept of "heated room", it used to refer to a

bathing Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, usually in water, but often in another medium such as hot air. It is most commonly practised as part of personal cleansing, and less frequently for relaxation or as a leisure activity. ...

room, giving rise to the German

occupational surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

s Stübler/

Stubler Richard Stubler (August 4, 1949 – August 27, 2023) was an American football coach, primarily in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was most recently an assistant coach for the Toronto Argonauts. He is a five-time Grey Cup champion, all a ...

, Stüberer,

Stübner Stübner / Stuebner / Stubner is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Berndt Stübner (1947–2022), German actor, puppet maker, playwright and theatre director * Carl Stubner, American talent manager * Jörg Stübner (1965� ...

, Stuber for "''stube''-keeper".Die Stube
''Adelung - Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart'' The word is also part a number of compound words, for rooms of some specific kind, such as

Bierstube A beer hall or beer palace () refers to a type of establishment that gained significant popularity in the 19th century, particularly across Central Europe. These venues were pivotal to the social and cultural life of cities renowned for their bre ...

, "beer hall", etc., see wikt:Stube.

References

Rooms {{authority control

See also

References