Bench (furniture)
A bench is a piece of seating furniture that usually offers space for several people.
Benches can be made from a variety of materials, some of which are particularly popular. These include wood , metal , plastic or stone . Benches that are used outdoors are mainly made of wood or metal. The materials differ in terms of durability and maintenance intervals, but also in terms of their appearance and feel and are preferred depending on location and use. Some benches have armrests, but this is rare. Wooden benches are made from a log, glued boards or shaped slats.
materials
stone
Stone benches are often found in old parks , temples, or churches . The material is very robust and heavy, so that stone benches are usually not mobile. But they are resistant and insensitive to environmental influences. The material can be divided into natural stones such as marble or granite, or artificial stone such as cast marble or marmorite.
concrete
Concrete benches were particularly popular during the Brutalist architectural style (derived from French : beton brut = concrete) in the years 1950–1980. Like stone benches, concrete benches are very heavy and therefore immobile. They are particularly suitable for outdoor areas such as parks, school or sports fields as permanent seating.
Wood
Wooden benches require regular maintenance, as the natural material is sensitive to rain, high humidity but also from direct sunlight and is stressed. The surface can be maintained and sealed with various varnishes and glazes, often based on synthetic resin. This extends the life of the bank. The type and origin of wood differ greatly: Popular woods are: teak, acacia, Douglas fir, oak, spruce, pine. Wooden benches are typically found in forests or parks, but are also often used indoors.
steel
Steel benches are mostly used outdoors, especially as street furniture and on sports and parks. Steel benches have dominated the cityscape since the 1970s. The solid material is robust and weatherproof. By processing it into steel mesh, it is flexible and convenient at the same time. Other shapes are round tubes or rectangular tubes. The surfaces can also be treated differently or designed with different colors.
etymology
The word bench as seating furniture is a common Germanic word that occurs with this meaning in almost all Germanic languages . An illegitimate child is referred to as a banker because it was conceived on the maid's bed and not in the marriage bed. The word Bänkelsänger (= small bench singer) is also derived from the bench because the artist often performed his songs while standing on a small bench and presented his flying leaves .
In the Middle Ages only people who were equal to each other sat on a bench. Nobles were not allowed to sit next to the common people and vice versa. Hence the expression across the board , which means as much as without distinction .
Different types of benches
Park bench
Public park benches set up outdoors offer space for around three to five people. Many municipalities have such park benches privately financed, whereby the name of the sponsor with a reference to his donation is engraved on a metal plate and attached to the bank.
Park benches are also repeatedly the subject of artistic discussion, be it in the art itself, on a painting or as part of an artistic installation.
Beer bench
Beer benches have foldable legs so that they can be easily transported and stored.
Corner bench
Corner benches are usually found in the catering sector as well as in the household as part of the seating on a dining table . They consist of two elements at right angles to each other and a corner connection.
Pew
Church pews can be found inside churches, some with upholstery; in Catholic churches with an additional knee bench . Noblemen and honorary citizens of a community often had their own, ornamented church chairs in exposed positions within the church.
School desk
Originally, school benches were real benches in classrooms that were designed as a bench-table combination with an inclined top , mostly with a device for holding the inkwell and a shelf for pencil cases or pencils. In the 20th century, such facilities became uncommon in Germany and European countries. They were replaced by chairs and tables, although the tables are still called banks today. Schools in developing countries in Africa, South America or Asia still use the combination today, provided that seating is common.
Ruhbank
A bench that is specially designed for porters to rest.
Records
There are various records that relate to benches in the sense of seating furniture. To this day, the longest bench in the world is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a 1013.32 meter long seat on the Kronberg in Switzerland . Since this piece of furniture had apparently been built without authorization by an Appenzell cheese factory as a marketing gimmick, at the end of 2013 the legal decision was made that the bank had to be dismantled. The city of Rendsburg on the Kiel Canal (NOK) has been claiming the record for the "longest currently built bank in the world" since September 2014. The bench, which had already existed for 25 years, was extended by around 74 meters at this time, as there had been longer benches in Japan and Thuringia and now measures 575.75 meters. Another record for a bench is held by Schloss Burg , a hilltop castle in Solingen . The longest bench made of one piece of wood there is 22 meters long and was made in 2010 from a mountain spruce .
Other benches
The following items are also referred to as a bench, but not in the sense of seating furniture:
- A workbench is not a bench, but a workbench with a work surface for a craftsman, especially a carpenter .
- A flower bank is a very low bench, around 20 to 50 cm high, on which you can place flower pots . Despite its often light construction, it can withstand a load of 1–2 quintals. It is made of wood or metal. Flower benches are available in every building or flower specialist.
- A weight bench is a construction that usually consists of a padded surface and is used in the fitness and strength training area. Available in different versions, they are also known as flat or inclined bench.
literature
in alphabetical order
- Collision. 3 (= Arte edition ), DVD-Video , PAL format , German, 180 minutes. Arte France Développement / Absolut Medien, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-89848-974-4 , the word: la banque, the bank,
- Klaus von Krosigk: The garden bench in the public green area of the 19th and early 20th centuries - a contribution to the history of culture and urban development using examples from Peter Joseph Lenné to Erwin Barth . In: Die Gartenkunst 9 (1/1997), pp. 180–194.
- Reto Weber: Swiss banking secrets, 33 hikes and walks to beautifully situated benches in Switzerland . Ott Verlag, Thun 2015, ISBN 978-3-7225-0144-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ “Longest bank in the world” is being sawed up. SRF March 31, 2014
- ^ Kieler Nachrichten, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: Rendsburg is world champion. Retrieved October 4, 2017 .
- ↑ Uwe Vetter: Solingen: On the long bench. Retrieved October 4, 2017 .
- ↑ collision, the word: the bank