Hofformen#

Farmhouse Types: Large parts of rural Austria can be characterised by the types of farm buildings to be found there. A rural farm building usually serves four purposes, for each of which there is a separate building or part of building varying in size: living, animal husbandry, storage of supplies and storage of machinery. Farm buildings can generally be distinguished by their layout (e.g. Einhof, Zwiehof, Haufenhof, Mehrseithof, Hakenhof, Streckhof types; Hof = yard or court).

The "Einhof" is particularly characteristic of western Austria. All the required units are contained in a single building under one roof and are connected with each other by passages. Access is either via the front or the sides of the building. Generally these buildings have two floors. The ground floor is often built of stone, the upper floor of wood. In the "sekundaerer Einhof" the lines of division between the various parts of the building are visible on the outside, e.g. by a broken roof ridge. In the "Mittertennhof" of the northern Alpine regions of Salzburg and Upper Austria and in the broad-gabled "Mittertennhof" found in the area around Innsbruck the threshing floor is located between the stables and the living quarters. In most Tyrolean types of farm buildings the stables are joined directly to the living quarters, which can have various layouts. The "Einhof" types of the Bregenzer Wald region (larger windows, exterior covered with weather-boards or shingles, a kind of veranda on the eaves-side of the building) are similar to those found in south-western Germany. Stone-built "Einhof" types are found in the Montafon and the Oberinntal valley, as well as in the Vintschgau (Italy) and Graubuenden (Switzerland) regions. Of particular social interest are the so-called "Teilhof" buildings that resulted from the division of inheritances and can be found in the closely built-up villages of the upper Tyrolean areas and in the Walgau and the Montafon. The "Teilhof" is characterised by the fact that parts of the building are used by several families.

The most important Zwiehof type is the Paarhof, which can be found from Vorarlberg to the eastern Alpine foothills. Its typical form consists of two 2-storey buildings, a living/storage house and a stall barn. Usually, their roof ridges run parallel and their appearance is almost identical. They are very popular, but show many regional variations: the two parts can be arranged side-by-side, one behind the other or at a 90° angle to each other, largely depending on the surrounding terrain. The types found in the west display a flat shingled roof, those in the east a steeper roof with the shingles nailed on. A regional variety of the Zwiehof in central Carinthia is the Ringhof, where 2 parallel stall barns together with lower buildings arranged at 90° angles form a closed complex.

The Haufenhof or Gruppenhof type in all its different varieties is characteristic of large parts of Carinthia and Styria as well as of the neighbouring regions of Upper Austria and Lower Austria. The separation of the various functions requires a relatively large number of buildings of different sizes that are arranged in a layout corresponding to the surrounding terrain. In some areas, e.g. western Styria, the "Gruppenhof" takes the form of "Mehrseithof" types. In the "Gruppenhof" type of central Austria families lived in a so-called "Rauchstubenhaus" house (up until the 20th century) where the "Rauchstube" (literally "smoke-room") served as the central room for cooking and living and was furnished with an open fireplace, a baking oven and a pig swill bucket.

The various kinds of Mehrseithof, mostly found in the non-alpine regions, range from very open to regular, castle-like forms and are mostly built of stone. In the areas bordering the Alps the layouts become more irregular and sometimes develop into special forms such as the Doppel-T-Hof in Lower Austria, where living quarters and the barn tract are connected through a central, closed livestock shed. The Vierseithof in the Innviertel region is made up of 4 buildings arranged around a courtyard in such a way that the corners of the yard are blocked off only by gate walls or fences. All other forms in Upper Austria and Lower Austria show a more compact arrangement of buildings. The Vierseithof types of eastern Styria are completely closed and at the main entrance to the farmstead the roof has 2 gables. While the other Vierseithof types are at least partly built of stone, the northern region of eastern Styria is characterised by a wooden type, occasionally also called "Ringhof". In contrast to the Vierseithof, the Vierkanthof (mainly found in the area between the cities of Wels, Linz, Amstetten and Steyr) has 2 floors and in its most typical form a continuous line of roof ridges and eaves. The living quarters are located next to the service tracts and connected by through passages. The barn tract, with 1-2 threshing-floors accessible form two sides, is located opposite the living quarters. In the Dreiseithof type 3 mostly one-storeyed tracts surround an oblong yard, closed off towards the road by a gated wall. These types are mostly found in the regularly laid-out villages, arranged either around the village green or along roads, of eastern Styria, parts of southern Lower Austria, of the Waldviertel region and - usually as "Dreikanthof" with continuous roof- the northern Muehlviertel region, but can also be found in scattered settlements.

The Hakenhof and Streckhof types are typical of the closely built-up, regularly laid-out villages of the eastern and south-eastern lowland regions. They usually result from the narrow and long building lots within the villages, but can also be found outside villages. While in the "Streckhof" type the living quarters, animal shelters and barns are arranged in a line, one following the other, the barn in the "Hakenhof" type is positioned at a 90° angle and closes off the farmstead towards the back. The Zwerchhof type is characterised by a roadside extension of the living tract, positioned at a 90° angle and often added later on. These types of farm buildings are usually built of stone. Only those located outside the villages are also built of wood (in southern Burgenland of hardwood).

Apart from these types of farm buildings there are a number of small and specialised forms for special crops (e.g. wine) and for small farmers and the lower classes. In these types, some buildings or parts of buildings may be absent, the buildings and their furnishings are generally simpler.

In practice, numerous mixed and transitional forms of these types of farm buildings exist, resulting from general historical developments and from the individual histories of the buildings (alterations and extensions). Additional buildings (particularly smaller service buildings, but also living quarters for the family and the retired farmers) can sometimes be found in farmsteads. Throughout history, and particularly in the 20th century, farmhouse types have changed constantly. New building materials became available, and the increasing mechanisation of agriculture led to fundamental changes in the structure of the existing buildings. Socio-economic changes (agriculture decreased in importance, hired hands no longer used, a trend towards second homes in the country, etc.) have also contributed to this development. Most farm houses built in the 20th century no longer correspond to traditional structures, but have developed their own individual forms.

Literature#