Hanslerhof farmstead, Alpbach

Built: 1231/1482
Year of translocation: 1966

The Hanslerhof has a long history which goes back to the 13th century when the Alpbach valley was first settled by the Bavarians. With the living quarters, barn, stable, cowshed and pigsties all under the same roof, the Hanslerhofrepresents a type of farmhouse, which was once common throughout Tyrol, Salzburg, Styria and Bavaria.Traditional farmhouse design was optimally adapted to the local climate and landscape. The choice of style, construction techniques and building materials was largely guided by functional constraints and mirrored the different uses to which each section of the building was put.In the Hanslerhof, the living quarters and the barn were of log construction with notched joints, while the stable was built of stone.The farm-house was set on a slope. The main entrance was therefore on the side of the house, underneath the eaves, and not at the gable end as in most other farmsteads of this type. On the ground-floor, at the gable end, there are five rooms: a comfortable parlour with a tiled stove and panelled walls, two small chambers, also with panelled walls, and two store rooms. The bedrooms are all located on the first floor.

The stable can be accessed directly from the hall. The advantage of this design was that in bad weather the farmers did not have to leave the shelter of the house when they went to feed their animals. The barn can be accessed from the first floor of the dwelling.The building has a slightly pitched roof constructed of purlins which are attached to the gable frames. It is covered with shingles. There is a simple bell-cote with a single bell which was rung at mealtimes to call the workers in from the fields.

Many of the former owners of the farmstead were skilled joiners and cabinet-makers. The first to make a name for himself as an expert furniture maker was Veit Pletzacher. Records dating from 1693 refer to him as the “Joiner from the Hanslerhof”. In 1716 he became a master joiner. Subsequent generations upheld the family tradition and continued to produce high quality furniture until the 19th century.In the wake of a plot realignment agreement in 1966, the building was dismantled and subsequently re-erected in Stübing.