Kleinstes Haus, Timber-framed house in Wernigerode, Germany
The Smallest House is a timber-framed building in Wernigerode that fits between two neighboring buildings with a width of about 3 meters. Its three floors contain a kitchen on the ground level, a small living room on the first floor, and sleeping spaces on the upper floor.
The house was built in 1792 and served for generations as a home for craftsmen families such as pipe makers, weavers, and shoemakers. In the early 1900s, a postal worker brought modern technologies like electricity and running water to the building.
The house shows how working families lived near the old city wall in tight spaces. Visitors can see today how people adapted cleverly to very small living areas and still made their homes comfortable.
The house is visible from the outside and forms part of a route through the old timber-frame buildings of the historic center. The narrow streets around it provide enough space for viewing and photography.
Up to eleven people lived in this building at the same time, making space incredibly tight and requiring clever room use. Such high occupancy was typical for poorer families in this area back then.
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