No. 721
With the house from Erstfeld, the Museum has succeeded in preserving an outstanding example of 18th century construction and making it accessible to the public. This buil-ding provides visitors with an almost ideal example of the architectural entity somewhat vaguely known as the “Gotthard house”.

This is a typical house from the Reuss Valley. Its ground floor and the fire wall at the rear are built of stone, while the living quarters proper are of wood and in block construction. The two parts are joined by timber-framed walls. Stylistically, this house belongs to the transition between late Renaissance and early Baroque. However, Gothic forms of ornament can still be seen in the interior.
The block construction is of sophisticated design. When dismantling the building, we were struck by the ability of the unknown carpenters to think in three-dimensional terms. Complex details like the parlour ceiling made from beams and slotted-in planks were made with the simplest technical means.
The ground floor of the house probably contained a stable for horses or mules. An old bridle path led past the former site of the building, which suggests a connection with traffic over the pass. There is a fruit and vegetable cellar in the rear part of the house. This is carefully isolated from a walled shaft that used to hold liquid manure.

We are certain that the builder and first owner of the house, probably a member of the Epp family of councilmen, was not a poor man. There is much to indicate that the interior was richly furnished. The living quarters are spacious and, for the period, luxuriously appointed.

The original beamed ceiling is a feature of the main parlour. A large part of the panelling destroyed by a stove fire around 1900 has been replaced. The real showpiece of this interior is the tile stove from another Uri house, which dates from 1725. Only traces of the original buffet were left. The present one is a copy of an example from a neighbouring house.
The kitchen, larder and privy are located in the rear part of the main storey. The hearth enables cheese to be made during the winter when the cattle are in the valley. The sanitation system is modern for a house almost three hundred years old, and reflects the high living standard of the original inhabitants. The upper storey contains two bedrooms of equal size, with a trapdoor allowing them to be heated from the parlour stove. The large room at the rear of the house was probably used to store household goods. The attic contains a small loft which served for storage purposes.
In the room next to the parlour is a funereal scene. A “lifeless child” lies on the bed and the entire room is decorated in white, the colour of death for children. It creates a depressing and moving scene in light of the high mortality rate of children, which was part of everyday life until well into the 19th century.

The barn from Spiringen UR (No. 723) is a stable for small livestock combined with a hay space.