Bilegger

A bilegger on the right in the corner of the Döns (heated living room)

As Bilegger ( Low German : bileggen for dazulegen, reheat, High German : "Beilegerofen") was an oven in farmhouses in northern Germany from about the 16th century called.

The bilegger was usually placed on the wall between Döns or Pesel (“good room”) and the kitchen and practically represents the back of a normal room stove that could be fired from the kitchen. The smoke was drawn off through the kitchen chimney and the living room remained smoke-free in this way. Beach wood, peat and dried cow dung served as fuel. The stove plate visible in the living room was mostly decorated with reliefs of biblical scenes.

Another special feature of the Bilegger were the unscrewable brass buttons, the so-called "Tubben", which were used as hand warmers. Furthermore, a "forend" (brass bell) was used to keep food warm on the stove.

From the 17th century onwards , the Bileggers were no longer bricked, but made of cast iron and initially came either from the Harz or Siegerland, mounted on forged stands . With the establishment of the Carlshütte in Rendsburg in 1827, Bileggers were also manufactured within the region.

Web links

• private page Marsch und Förde - Bilegger
• History of Schleswig-Holstein