Hi D L;

In your opening post you said "In the middle ages, advances in farming techniques marked the end of the transient days of the Germanic tribes, They settled down in one place, and established farms that would remain in one family for generations. As a result, they started building structures that would last for generations as well."

I was aware of this transition, but I thought it started occuring 8,000 to 4,000 BC. I know there were migratory peoples until recently, an interesting example being the "forest Finns" who practice slash and burn agriculture where they clear an area of forest, burn the bursh, farm the land until the soil neutrients are reduced which can be a short time such as a few years, and then they cut down another area of forest etc. Do you think there were nomadic peoples in the area we now call southern Germany as late as say the tenth century AD?

Also, I want to agree with you that fachwerk is an ancient tradition and I think it is likely a continuation of the Roman building style of half-timbering Vitruvious called opus craticium. There are surviving buildings in Italy that were burried by the eruption of Mt. Visuvious in 79 AD that were found and excavated. Pretty cool that there are surviving half-timbered buildings from around the beginning of Christianity!!

http://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/herculaneum-1/insula-iii-2/house-of-the-opus-craticium


This style of a wooden frame infilled with stone or brick has been studied by engineers because the traditional Turkish houses built like this (in Turkish called Himis) tend to survive earthquakes better than other types.

I have studied plank framing starting in the U.S. and working my way backward in time to Europe. I have found good information on types of building like the Ständerbohlenbau in the Low Countries, but I had only seen references to the use of plank walls in Switzerland...I have not been able to find drawings or a good history so your informing me of the name of this style should help me find information on this style. Thanks!!

Is the Ständerbohlenbau a type of construction you are trying to bring attention to here or mainly the Southern Allemanic style of fachwerk?

Thanks;
Jim