Bereczki Ibolya - Cseri Miklós (szerk.): Ház és ember, A Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum évkönyve 22. (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2010)

Dobosyné Antal Anna: Német ház Magyarországon – Fachwerk épületek a Dél-Dunántúlon

Anna Dobosyné Antal GERMAN HOUSE IN HUNGARY Timber frame buildings in the Southern Transdanubia Earlier our scientists often came to the conclusion regarding the German type houses in Hungary that German settlers in Hungary had taken over ready houses, while in other places, we find building traditions taken over from Hungarian village dwellers. All have agreed that the German house type was not present in the Carpathian Basin; the immigrants have not left behind a characteristic architectural heritage. In contradiction to the general statements based on earlier local studies, researches carried out recently in the region called "Swabian Turkey" prove that the architecture brought here by German settlers after the Turkish occupation was not only present but even preserved by later generations. The most significant and spectacular evidence of this fact is the timber structure. The characteristics of this Western European technology are different from the generally applied constructions erected on ground sills in Southern Transdanubia. The master builders of the German houses followed the German traditions in design and construction technology: The horizontal timbers between sill-beams and wallplates, the noggin-pieces keep the structure strong and stable. The front façade has a special geometric pattern of braces (herringbone bracing) and the back gable has a simplified timber structure. We find a way of traditional use of space in the loft: hewn partition walls separate the loft into three rooms, while an interior ceiling built at the level of the beams laid on the middle purlin divide the loft into two stories. Grain was stored in the loft following strict rules. The loft's function, the important economic role of grain storing decided about the measures and proportions of the German houses. The dominant look of the houses mirrors the use of the loft: unusual steep roofs with an inclination at an angle of 48-52°. The German houses can be followed up through three generations: the first generation built timber frame walls. The second generation constructed fix walls with the typical roofs of timber frame houses. The third generation was using certain elements of the timber frame technology but real timber frame houses were not built any more. 45