How 19th-Century German Farmers Turned Caves Into Homes

[DGUtley]

How 19th-Century German Farmers Turned Caves Into Homes - Preserving an unusual slice of rural life.

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Germany underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization during the 19th century. At the same time, the population more than doubled, and land seizures and unemployment were widespread. Alongside emigration, internal migration rates rose dramatically, and rural people moved frequently in search of secure livelihoods. Social historian Leslie Page Moch, who specializes in the history of European migration, writes in a paper published on European History Online (EGO): “Population growth and proletarianization had clear implications for migration, since the landless were the most willing to move and most affected by rural crises.”

In the middle of the century, the Langenstein manor and neighboring land was owned by the Rimpau family. August Wilhelm Rimpau was a notable agriculturalist and politician who expanded the farm considerably, says Scholle, and sought laborers to come work for him on a long-term basis. Farmworker families were easy enough to find, but in the midst of a housing shortage, there was no place for them to live.

They improvised.


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https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...cave-dwellings

[countryboy]

How 19th-Century German Farmers Turned Caves Into Homes - Preserving an unusual slice of rural life.



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Germany underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization during the 19th century. At the same time, the population more than doubled, and land seizures and unemployment were widespread. Alongside emigration, internal migration rates rose dramatically, and rural people moved frequently in search of secure livelihoods. Social historian Leslie Page Moch, who specializes in the history of European migration, writes in a paper published on European History Online (EGO): “Population growth and proletarianization had clear implications for migration, since the landless were the most willing to move and most affected by rural crises.”

In the middle of the century, the Langenstein manor and neighboring land was owned by the Rimpau family. August Wilhelm Rimpau was a notable agriculturalist and politician who expanded the farm considerably, says Scholle, and sought laborers to come work for him on a long-term basis. Farmworker families were easy enough to find, but in the midst of a housing shortage, there was no place for them to live.

They improvised.


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https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...cave-dwellings

If they had round doors, they would look like Hobbit holes. Though not as laid out as Bag End on the inside.