Auszugshaus

The end of a farmer's life

Life as a farmer and farmer's wife was hard and full of deprivation. At the end of their professional lives, which was often under the age of 50 due to the hard physical toil, came the traditional move into a so-called Auszugshaus.

The Auszugshaus or “moving out house” was and is a small residential building into which the former farm owners moved when they had handed over the farm to their heirs. In general, these houses could only be found on wealthy farms; at poorer homesteads the older farmers had to be content with a room. Once they moved out, they would enjoy right of residence and would normally be provided with food and nursing care by their offspring too.

The handover of the farm is still regulated by a contract. In earlier times, negotiating "moving out" was a challenge for everyone involved, as the safeguarding of parental livelihoods was negotiated down to the last potato. It was not uncommon for elderly people to be helplessly at the mercy of their own children after moving out. They were often only respected as long as they were still useful for something and could contribute in some way to everyday life.

The arrangements for moving out concerned the living space in the new house or room, care in case of illness and age-related ailments, the supply of food, clothing and heat and, if necessary, pocket money. But especially peasants in former times rarely lived beyond the age of 50, as the hard labour they performed all their lives was anything but conducive to physical health. As a result, many did not get to enjoy a real retirement.

If you drive attentively through Altmünster, Neukirchen or Reindlmühl, you can find old Auszugshäuser next to several farms. The moving out itself is one of the main topics dealt with at the Heimathaus in Neukirchen.