511 – Farmhouse from Tentlingen, Fribourg 17th Century / 1790

When the Tentlingen house was built, field cultivation was still prevalent in the region. Enormous amounts of grain were flailed on threshing floors. Later, in this region of the pre-alps, more emphasis was placed on animal husbandry.

Dwelling, threshing floor and stall originally formed a long main facade. As a result of changing economic conditions, the longitudinally oriented building with its lowly sloped roof (which still covers the barn) was transformed. The owner, Joseph Corpataux, had the dwelling part turned 90 degrees in 1790, crosswise to the barn and stall. This lent the building an entirely different appearance.

After a hard day’s work in winter the occupants could crawl from the warming parlour stove directly into bed. The kitchen floor was covered with sandstone slabs. Meals could be passed through an opening in the wall from the smoke-filled kitchen into the pleasantly smoke-free parlour.

Straw twisting – delicate work with a big impact
Straw twisting is the process of twisting straw together to form sturdy cords. This delicate, precise craft requires a lot of skill and patience. Traditionally, this technique was performed by hand using simple tools. Numerous everyday and luxury products were made from the cords. Women and children usually carried out this arduous work at home in order to exchange 100 twisted cords for the meagre wage of a loaf of bread. You can see how this ancient craft is kept alive in the Farmhouse from Tentlingen FR (511).