Gunda Béla et al. (szerk.): Ideen, Objekte und Lebensformen. Gedenkschrift für Zsigmond Bátky - István Király Múzeum közelményei. A. sorozat 29. (Székesfehérvár, 1989)
Ján Botík: Economic Functions of the Peasant Dwelling in Hont
house named holubienec, which was fastened to a column but could also be placed under the roof. For storing agricultural implements and means of transport a special space was used, the cieita, siena, podcieha. It was situated usually at the end of the line of buildings. Less frequently it was built as a separate unit in the yard. It often formed a part of the barn. If there was not a special place for this purpose, a threshing barn floor could be used for it. The largest service building of the peasant estate in the region of Hont was represented by the barn. Most often it was called pajta, a name found in all the localities investigated. It is also called humno, which is generally considered an older name for the barn (e.g. in Lisov, Devicie, Ladzany, Sebechleby, Celovce, Dacov Lom, Krnisov, Král’ovce). In some villages the barn is also called tok (Hrusov, Cerovo, Trpin). The barn was not only a large building, but it also fulfilled various functions which were reflected in its multispace layout. As the main function of the barn consisted in storing unthreshed corn, there were jobs to be done connected with the threshing and cleaning of grain, and threshed straw was stored there together with grain. The size and relamonships of the main parts of the barn were chiefly adapted to the above functions. The largest and at the same time the central area of the barn was represented by its entrance, open on both sides, called holovnica, holomnica, holovna and, if limited as to space, tok (Hrusov). It served mainly for the manual threshing of corn and its winnowing. Besides, it held cut hay, and where they did not have separate sheds for them, the cart and other items were stored there. Unthreshed corn and also straw were stored in more extensive side areas, usually in twos, placed along one, or rarely along two sides of the threshing site, which was called stadia, stala, stál, stálov. Access to this place was possible from the threshing barn through openings of different size which were, however, situated approx. 1 m above the level of the floor and were called zácin, zácinok. In case the prevagent solution of placing the stadia along one side of the threshing barn was preferred, then there were 3-4 smaller spaces along the second side, called kut’ice. One of them, usually in the centre, was not separated by a wall from the holovnica and was used for raking away grain during threshing. It was named záhrnka in some places (Trpin, Dacov Lorn) or záhrnok (Horny Badin). Other places named kutice were separated from the threshing barn by a wall and door. One was to store chaff, pleviehec, the other to store corn, komora, or fruits, komôrka, and the third for sheep wintering, ovcienec. Along the external perimeter of the barn there were other, usually semi-open spaces for storing agricultural equipment, cieha, or sometimes fuel, nútoiíist'e, or chaff (Martin) could be kept there, plevitnec, if space for it was not found in the barn. The roofed space in barns was also utilized. The spaces in the rooms called stadia were not ceiled, and they stored corn or straw there up to the top of roof where the rafters joined. However, the spaces above the threshing floor and above the places called kutice were covered by small poles and wicker frames, etc. The roofed space over the holovnica was called zápustok, less often hrtan. They stored, cut feed, e.g. clover and hay, there. The roofed place above the kutice was called padlásik and the finest fodder for lambs was stored there, most often kosienok (grass mown for the second time in a year). Barns were usually independent units, built in the back part of the yard, or behind it in the area of the fruit garden. In some places they formed a coherent line or were placed in alternating units in two lines in order to reduce the risk of fire. In some localities a common grouping of barns in public area near the village could be found (e.g. in Hontianske Nemce, Dvorníky, Horné a Dőlné Rykyncice). In the region of Hont several storage functions were fulfilled also by the roofed space of the house called padlás. The space above the dwelling area contained dishes for stored legumes, dried fruit, jam, etc. In some places they also kept corn, especially oats, there. Above the service buildings, especially the cowshed and sheepfold, they used to store hay. A common component of the peasant dwelling was also represented by a cellar, pivhica, for storing tuber-crops, (potatoes, beet-roots, fruit). In Hont, cellars were commonly placed in public area but houses also had cellars under them. In wine-growing villages we can find more or less numerous clusters of cellars and special wine-buildings for storing wine which have been built outside the village, in the vicinity of the vineyards. By the second half of the 19th century the dwelling morphology of the major part of the localities in the northeastern part of the region of Hont started to be completed by the branch farms of the more prosperous peasants. They were situated in the more remote parts of the village settlement area, either individually or in roups and were called staja, stadia, chyska, laz, etc. First they were used as a seasonal farming complement to peasant settlements whose permanent dwellings were located in the village. Building units in these remote settlements fulfilled especially economic functions, chiefly cowsheds and storage spaces, whereas there was only one dwelling place as a rule for the needs of living. Through family and property division, or through sale of one part of the property to immigrants from neighbouring regions, such seasonal branch farms gradually changed into annually inhabited ground-settlements, i.e. into the peasant settlements of permanent character. Jón Botik 167
