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Charcoal burning workshop with show stack, charcoal yard and bark shack
Charcoal burning workshop with show stack, charcoal yard and bark shack

T8 Charcoal burning workshop with show stack, charcoal yard and bark shack

District: Altötting

To this day, the names of places and plots in Upper Bavaria refer to its charcoal-making industry, with examples including Bad Kohlgrub, Brandstatt and Brandflecken. The names of houses and farms, such as Kohler and Meiler, also have this connection. The Open Air Museum’s “Kohlplatz” has a model of a charcoal stack on display as well as a simple charcoal burner’s hut reconstructed from tree bark (known as a “Rindenkobel”, or “bark shack”). A charcoal stack is also regularly piled up and burned here during the summer months.

Wood is a valuable and versatile raw material, which is why logging has been strictly regulated by the authorities since the end of the 16th century. The best wood for charcoal is produced by oak, beech and birch trees.

The coniferous wood found in pre-alpine Upper Bavaria was often charred. Charcoal makers usually used tree stumps which were not suitable for housebuilding. Forest clearings were chosen as sites for charcoal stacks, ideally near to a water source, and had to be dry, even and windless. It was imperative that there be enough space for the charcoal pile and for wood storage, culm (a mixture of water and ashes) and the charcoal maker’s dwelling. Charcoal was made using a round charcoal stack in Upper Bavaria. Dry wood logs were arranged around a central post and piled up to produce a stack.