The multifunctionality of old cottage-chambers in the eastern Alps

Many cottages in the eastern Alps were designed on the basis of a special ground plan with a central passage/corridor. On one side of the passage, there was a large chamber, the so-called smokehouse, and on the other side there was a closet or a basement. The floor of the smokehouse measured 8 by 8 metres and it was 3 metres high. The smokehouse was considered the main living space of a peasant's house in the eastern Alps, especially in Styria and Carinthia. Characteristic for it was a double hearth, composed of a open range and a large furnace. The spacial division of the smokehouse was clearly defined. Each part of the chamber had its function.

When the inheritor of the farm got married, the smokeroom became a place for dancing and celebrating. Each inhabitant did their best to make the tough farm life as bearable as possible.