A ''Treppenspeicher'' (literally "staircase store") is the German term for a

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...

or secondary farm building used for storage and typical of the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (german: Lüneburger Heide) is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Brem ...

area in northern Germany. The upper storey of the store was usually accessed via a flight of steps on the outside of the building, usually at one of the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

ends, thus giving the building its name.''Treppenspeicher in der Lüneburger Heide''
at lueneburger-heide.de. Retrieved 03 November 2021.

Description

''Treppenspeicher'' are only relatively small buildings. They are witness to the craftsmanship of carpenters in the farming community. Their solid, wooden construction ensured that the interior stayed dry and they were so tightly planked that the stored produce was protected from mice. These stores used to be built within sight, but at a distance from the main farmhouse. This ensured that, if the farmhouse caught fire, the fire would not spread to the stores. They were often used as sleeping accommodation for farm hands. ''Treppenspeicher'' were typical of the

. Here they remained in use until well into the 19th century. They increasingly disappeared however because they are no longer practical today. Nowadays the store rooms are normally part of the farmhouse itself. In former times there was at least one, but usually several, stores on each heath farm, serving all sorts of purposes. They were used to store

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legume ...

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagop ...

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

, cotton,

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. A ...

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primaril ...

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as c ...

bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

and

clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

. They were often used as sleeping accommodation for the

farmhand A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including harv ...

Surviving ''Treppenspeicher''

Today, ''Treppenspeicher'' may be visited at the following places on the Lüneberg Heath: * Lutterloh * Hermannsburg Local History Museum * Schröershof and Schäferhof Farms in Neuenkirchen * Stimbekhof Farm in Oberhaverbeck * Peetshof Farm in Wietzendorf * De Theeshof Local History Museum in

Schneverdingen Schneverdingen (; Low Saxon ''Snevern'') is a city in the northern part of the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the area known as Lüneburg Heath. Geography Location Schneverdingen is situated approximately nort ...

Gallery

Image:TrpSpchHiesterhf.jpg, 400-year-old ''Treppenspeicher'' on the Hiesterhof Image:TreppenspeicherOheOberohe.jpg, 1709 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Oberohe Image:TreppenspchBaven1767.jpg, 1767 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Baven Image:TreppenspeicherWeesen.jpg, 1808 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Weesen Bollersen Nr.8 Speicher @02.JPG, Protected 1839 ''Treppenspeicher'' in Bollersen ( Celle county) TreppSpeichWil.JPG, ''Treppenspeicher'' in Wilsede

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Eitzen, Gerhard (2006). ''Bauernhausforschung in Deutschland: gesammelte Aufsätze 1938 bis 1980''. PD-Verlag. * Stuhrwohldt, Alfred (1936). ''Die Treppenspeicher in der Lüneburger Heide'', Brunswick: TH Carola-Wilhelmina. Granaries Lüneburg Heath