Harp
A harp is a structure made of wood with vertical posts and horizontal boards for drying hay or grain. The older name Köse or Kese can be found in the upper Gail Valley . In Slovenia it is called Kozolec or Toplar and can still be found in large numbers in western Slovenia . In Switzerland they are called Histe or Kornhiste (Swiss German Hischt , Romansh Chischner ). Talina are those hists that are attached to the sunny side of the stables.
Development of the harp
Out of the necessity to dry hay for the winter even on damp soils and in unfavorable weather conditions, various methods have been developed in the alpine region to protect the freshly cut grass from soil moisture and weather so that it could dry into hay. The simplest device for this was the Hiefler , a debarked, sharpened young tree about 2 to 2.5 meters high, on the remaining 20 cm long branches of which the grass was hung. In other areas, 3 or more poles were put together so that they could also pick up fresh grass or grain to dry. These shapes are called Dieme or Heumanderl , but are not typical for the area in which the harp originated. In order to be able to hold more hay or grain, cross bars were placed between appropriately shaped posts over time.
In order to maintain even distances between the supports for the cross bars on both posts, instead of the naturally grown branches, cut bars were fixed in holes so that they were slightly inclined upwards and the cross bars would not roll off. This device was bar tab called and was like Hiefler only during the hay harvest in the fields. The simple harp developed from the pole rider, with sturdy posts in which the poles were embedded in holes. As a further development step, a stable covering was added, which offered the forage protection from direct rain and snow. In the steep terrain, this was then also laterally supported to make it insensitive to wind pressure. The double or court harp finally developed from two simple harps standing side by side. This was not only more stable, but also offered space for equipment inside and a safe and dry storage place for crops of all kinds in the upper area.
Although the use of harps dates back to the Middle Ages, most of those still preserved today date from the 20th century. Only a few examples from the 19th century have survived. This is due to the use of natural wood as the sole building material. Today, more and more harps are no longer exclusively renovated with this, but increasingly also with alien materials such as sheet metal roofs or concrete columns.
Distribution area
The distribution area of the harp used to extend from Croatia through western Slovenia, parts of Styria , all of Upper Carinthia to the uppermost Mölltal , where it was called Hilge , to East and South Tyrol . The name harp , which has been documented as such since the 13th century , also comes from the area around Innichen and Sexten . It has replaced the older term Köse or Kese . This can only be found in the upper Gailtal, which still has the highest density of these remarkable buildings in Carinthia , and as Kesne in Graubünden, Switzerland. In western Slovenia the term Kozolec is used for the single harp and Toplar for the double harp . Kozolec and Toplar as well as mixed forms, such as asymmetrically built double harps, still shape the landscape in western Slovenia to a large extent and have become a national symbol there.
In the western Alps, the harp can still be found in Piedmont and Upper Valais , in Graubünden it is called Kesne and is called Favà among the Ladins of South Tyrol. In addition to the Alps, the harp is still used as a drying structure in Scandinavia and northern Russia, but it can also be found in southeast China and in neighboring Tibet.
Hist
Hists were mainly used in the cantons of Graubünden and Ticino to ripen the grain yolks piled on them. In September 1961, for example , around 60 Hists were counted in Obersaxen , where they were a landmark in the landscape. In the Lorischboden northeast of Meierhofen a Hist was set up as a reminder. In the village of Flond in the same region, a hist is depicted in the municipal coat of arms.
Since the first snow falls early at high altitudes, the grain could not ripen in the fields. That is why the grain was cut early and the bundled ears hung on the cornhists. The sheaves of corn were layered on the hists in the evening. In the lower layers, the sheaves were passed up with a slat provided with a nail, for the upper layers a pulley system called "Hischter" was used. To protect the grains from bird damage, the ears of wheat were bent on the sheaves so that as few ears as possible could be seen outside. Oats were not hoisted in sheaves, but hung on the slats. After the grain was fully ripened, the Hists took it to the threshing floor. Due to the decline in grain cultivation, the Hists have disappeared from the landscape.
See also
- smaller, not permanently erected scaffolding: Heureiter or Dieme
- with movable roof: Rutenberg (agriculture)
- barn
literature
- Thomas Reitmaier: Chischner, rescana and talina - drying racks in the Swiss Alps. In: H arpfe, Zeitschrift für Landeskunde , 3/2011, pp. 49–54 [1]
- Konrad Huber: About the hist and storage types in the Central Alpine region. Buchdr. Winterthur AG., 1944 ( limited preview in Google book search)
- Karl C. Berger: From the harp. In: Rudolf Ingruber (Ed.): Osttirol. History - Folklore - Art. Studien-Verlag, Innsbruck et al. 2005, ISBN 3-7065-4050-9 , pp. 71-88.
- Renzo Rucli: Kozolec. Monumento dell'architettura rurale. = Spomenik ljudske arhitekture. Cooperativa Lipa editrice, S. Pietro al Natisone 1998.
- Martin Steiner: A short cultural history of the harps. In: Carinthian farmers calendar. 2008, ZDB -ID 2138226-8 , pp. 216-219.
Individual evidence
- ^ Hermann Wopfner : Bergbauernbuch . Volume 3 = main section 7/12: Economic life (= Schlern writings. Vol. 298 = Tyrolean economic studies. Vol. 49). Wagner, Innsbruck 1997, ISBN 3-7030-0277-8 , p. 153.
- ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: municipality Obersaxen )
- ↑ Pro Supersaxa-Obersaxen, ME-J.
- ↑ Konrad Huber: About the hist and memory types of the Central Alpine region: A factual and linguistic historical investigation The complete work appears as volume 19 of the Romanica Helvetica series linguistica volume 19 by Romanica Helvetica . 19 by Romanica Helvetica. Series linguistica. Buchdr. Winterthur AG., 1944, ISSN 0080-3871 ( Google Books ).
- ↑ Information board on site
