The listed sexton’s house next to the church of St. Laurentius and St. Vincentius is a so-called Gulf house. It is a type of farmhouse that appeared in East Frisia in the 16th and 17th centuries and houses a dwelling house, stable and barn under one roof. The Gulfhaus owes its origins to economic circumstances. The predecessor of the Gulfhaus was the old Frisian farmhouse, which, like the Gulfhaus, was also a stable house.
These small buildings provided farmers with sufficient space, as there was no need to store a large harvest. Grain cultivation was only possible on a few high-lying areas, while the inadequately drained marshes were only suitable for grass and pasture. Later, improved drainage techniques using wind-water mills made it possible to drain fertile low-lying marshland and use it for large-scale grain cultivation. A house with a large capacity was needed to store the growing harvest, which gave rise to the Gulfhaus.
read more or write a comment …