European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Open air museum resurrects the past by Effie Bathen number Bureau i Early 1077 a rec Kin new was poised to tear Down a t rumbling wooden House Hal Lay too close lot lie path of die new Ivis Suu Degge Ruport autobahn in the a inst her Wall Region of Germany a Desi Ednanl of the Weaver who lived in the i cottage in 1 Bob phoned Georg Hiltl he rushed out a Crew of craftsmen who rescued the frail wooden Frame and. Rebuilt it in Board by boart at his outdoor museum at. Wittling. Where it stands today. A ,. The Weaver s cottage is just one of Many buildings. A rescued Quot by the Holt family Tor their open air museum called museum Dorl. A a a a a a a a. I he  Village is in the Mayrisch Ermuld. Or Havana Woods a quiet resort area filled with streams wooded hillsides and country roads reminiscent of Rural America. A a. A. A. A i he Village has More than 50 wooden and Stone farmhouses that Date Back As far As the 15th Century a As Early As old land registers and Church records can take them there Are dozens of of her buildings and structures including granaries Craft houses Wells and handmade furnishings. A a a of the museum grounds Blooming plants pour out of Flower boxes ducks sit on pontus and a Clear Mountain Stream winds Between the buildings. Strolling through the Village makes for a pleasant Way to learn about Many old bavarian customs. Many of the museum buildings were actual Homes of peasant Farmers Millers blacksmiths and Bakers. They were Hearty Folk who ventured North of the Danube River Valley to live off the land. Quot they were like american pioneers Quot said Peter Holt whose Tat her spent a lifetime trying to preserve lie symbols of bavarian country life. A. 1ih> museum was Start d in the Early la 7 h when the a i loll family built  on the Drei Burgenske or Quot Lake of three  at that time eld wooden farm Houm s were being demolished by the thousands. The family was horrified to see these important symbols i Fores folklore vanishing a in 197j Rotha Muhle a 500-year-old Mill was to be razed to make Way for an apartment House it Sis the first building to to saved and today holds a collection of Folk Art since then More than 100 buildings have been offered to the i Toltl family by those eager to preserve a part of their bavarian heritage. Among the rarest structures is an old tax so Utcher s. House where tax was soaked and then beaten. Maidservants had to work late into the night . The Creaky buildings soon developed the Sass photos by Effie Bathen above Many of the farmhouses Are filled with handcrafted furniture typical of the bavarian Woods. At left a wooden Chapel built by a grateful Soldier was moved to the museum grounds. Reputation of being wicked places with ghosts a perhaps because of the strange sounds. The local flax House often met an untimely end when villagers eager to rid their towns of Surh evil goings on demolished it. Another Muci Ostag building is a Small wooden Chapel built in 1828 by a Silversmith named Matheasen Thornor Hera metro the Village of t Wierham it is said that he built the Chapel m thanksgiving for his Safe return lion lighting with Napoleons army in Russia. Nearly 10,000 bavarian peasants were forced to join the hard March and bloody Battles om81-2. One Anc Lent wooden Structure built in 1670, is said to be the oldest schoolhouse in Germany. Another is an old House Poi marked with Lead bullets from Napoleon s soldiers. A. A a a buildings with Low ceilings and tiny windows provide plenty Tor children As Well As adults to explore. Many houses have Smoky Black Walls from once fiery kitchens. Others have hand it arved furniture and worn Plank.  a t he Village Ini Lutes several barns Many of which required new thatched roofs. The work was done by local Farmers who followed the old time Craft of bundling dry Straw and fastening it with Birch twigs to the ancient a matters.  -.���. A a a a a a ,. A a a a outdoor ovens sit in some courtyards. For hundreds of this 500-year-old Mill was the first building saved by the museum s owners. 4 stripes Magazine May 16, 1991