The barn from Bárszentmihályfa is remarkable because it was built entirely from reused timber elements – not from a single earlier structure, but by combining materials from several different buildings. This makes it a unique example, as no similar reconstruction had previously existed in this form.
Its slightly irregular shape is also the result of this approach, as the available building components determined the final layout.
Barn from Bárszentmihályfa
This large log-built barn consists of a spacious, three-part threshing floor with two haylofts on either side. Its most distinctive feature is its hexagonal floor plan. By using this angular design, builders were able to create a larger interior space from relatively short timber beams. Barn construction also allowed the use of irregular logs that were unsuitable for house building, many of which can still be seen in the side walls of the structure.
From the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as stable-based livestock farming became increasingly important, storing winter fodder and straw became an essential part of farm life. Barns therefore served a dual purpose: they were used both for storing unthreshed sheaves, straw, chaff and animal fodder, and as the place where threshing was carried out. For most of the year, carts and various agricultural implements were also stored inside.
