Hus in Dieke, the Museum in Schwiegershausen.

Coffee and cake in the museum.

After our walk around the Oder Lake and Dam on Saturday, we visited a delightful little museum in Schwiegershausen.  We started with coffee and cake, and the lady above, pouring the coffee, gave us a history of the house.  This old farmhouse was bought by the people of the village to be run as a folk museum, displaying artifacts from the past centuries, all donated by the villagers and friends.  The house is being slowly restored, all with voluntary help.  The roof has been retiled, new wooden floors laid and the house furnished with historic artifacts.  A rota of volunteers welcomes visitors, children, families, Russians, and our group with an English lady!

Portraits on the walls showed those who had lived in the house, together with their household objects, a kitchen with its cooking range, pots and pans, the old bake house, with a huge vat for cooking the pig, outhouses, and a kitchen garden.   The living rooms were furnished with tables and chairs for visitors to take refreshments.  Upstairs were the bedrooms, one complete with a bed and a baby's cradle. The other room housed a collection of interesting household objects.   The whole museum was fascinating,  particularly the collection of clothing worn by the people of village and unique to area.

A black confirmation outfit, and a dress for a married woman, complete with fringed shawl and hat.  The farmers hobnail boots were stoutly made,  and passed down the generations, nothing was wasted.

An outfit for a young man and dresses and bonnets for the unmarried ladies.

It was interesting to look closely at the stitching and decoration on these outfits, most of which were handmade. The farm workers' linen shirts, with tucks and neat cuffs were particularly interesting. The young ladies wore lace trimmed bonnets, while the married women wore little decorated hats with hanging ribbons, all carefully hand stitched.

Childrens' clothing hangs from a wardrobe.

Hanging on the rail to the right, are some interesting light weight, voluminous ladies coats with large, frilled collars, all capable of being worn whilst cradling a babe in arms.  Below is a collection of vests and bodices for babies.  A small crib was in the bedroom, complete with the thickest babies duvet I have ever seen.  As our guide pointed out, only the living rooms were heated, so the double bed, small by our standards, was so narrow that you had to huddle up together for warmth under the thick bedcovers.   All in all, one of the most fascinating collections of clothing I have ever seen.

Little vests and bodices for babies.

Go early to rest, cheerfully rise, then easily runs the day.