Cottage industry

A cottage industry was a small rural property in Mecklenburg . On top of it was a simple house or cottage with a garden and associated small fields and meadows. The size of the garden at a cottage industry was mostly 100 square rods (approx. 2500 m²). But these were not enough to support a family. The cottage industry was therefore operated on a part-time basis. Most of the time the houseman worked as a day laborer or as a craftsman. In the 19th century, the ducal domanial offices preferred to set up and outsource houses to alleviate the prevailing housing shortage. In the period from 1850 to 1895, the number of houses grew from 1,300 to around 8,000. The design of the building was very simple: in addition to the kitchen, a room and a living room, there was also a stable in the same house. The total area was just 80 to 100 square meters.

literature

• Werner Pöhls : Büdnereien and Häuslereien. In: Mecklenburgische Monatshefte , Vol. 2, Schwerin 1926. pp. 19-20.