Floating roof
With a floating roof provided Drift houses ( Drifthuusen ) were built until the 18th century in the North Sea coast.
Function and construction
The floating roof was a final rescue measure in the event of storm surges. In an emergency, the residents could escape here. In the event of a disaster, the limited "seaworthy" roof came off the rest of the house, to which it was only connected by nailed tenons . The north wind that caused the storm surge was supposed to drive the roof like a ship against the coast, where the residents could save themselves.
Examples
Some of these houses have been preserved on Spiekeroog , for example , including the “Huus Puppenstuv”, which still has this floating roof construction today, clearly recognizable by the massive old beams in the living room and in the bedroom of a holiday apartment, as well as the “Old Island House” with the old house number 20 (today café and restaurant; built around 1703, Süderloog 4), the "Drifthuus" and the semi-detached house "Noorderloog" 15/17.
Spiekerooger church with a drift roof
More drift houses on Spiekeroog
The drift house Altes Inselhaus on Spiekeroog
