This weekend (May 30/31), more than 150 half-timbered houses will be open to visitors in the Saxon-Czech-Polish border triangle. According to the Umgebindehaus Foundation, visitors will gain an insight into a half-timbered construction method that is unique in Europe and characterizes the landscape and towns across borders. In the Czech Republic, participating owners will be opening their properties on Saturday, and on the German side and in Poland a day later.
Living in the monument
The Day of the Open Umgebindehaus has been held every year since 2005 and is now increasingly taking place across borders. According to the foundation, the event helps to promote living and working in such monuments. House owners and builders provide information about successful renovation solutions or show properties during renovation.
The half-timbered houses combine elements of half-timbering, log construction and solid construction to create a special building style. The wooden supporting structure, the so-called Umgebinde, encloses the log room in an arch. According to estimates, there are still around 20,000 of these typical regional buildings in northern Bohemia, Lower Silesia in Poland and Saxony. In the Free State alone, around 6,500 of them are registered as cultural monuments.
