On the last farmstead on the right-hand side of the road running alongside the former channel of the Zala River stands the bent house, accompanied by a separate thatched food storage pantry, two dovecotes and a projecting-threshing barn.
Both in its furnishings and purpose, this farmstead differs from the others in the Village Museum. Here, museum education programmes introduce schoolchildren to traditional peasant farming and the everyday tasks of rural household life.
Zalalövő Bent House and Courtyard
The original bent house was built in the mid-19th century and acquired its present appearance through several extensions and alterations. Initially, it consisted of a single smoke-filled living room and a pantry. Later, the house was enlarged at the expense of the entrance hall. In the first room, the extension is still clearly visible on the unplastered log wall, showing how the timber beams were joined together. The pantry next to the kitchen was converted into another room, while the bent wing of the building was further extended with an additional animal pen.
Projecting-Threshing Barn from Nagykutas
The projecting entrance section of the barn, known as the torok, leads into the threshing floor. Since there is no loft above this central space, visitors can clearly see the roof structure and the traditional thatching technique.
The purlin runs along the ridge of the roof, supporting the rafters. Wooden battens were nailed across the rafters, and bundles of rye straw were tied onto the battens to form the thatched roof. Thatching began with the preparation of the straw bundles. Two handfuls of rye straw were placed on a twisted straw rope laid on the ground, loosely tied together, and then folded over one another. These doubled bundles were individually fastened to the roof battens so that the lower ends overlapped neatly, creating a smooth, weatherproof surface.
With only minor repairs, a traditionally tied thatched roof could last for 20-25 years. Worn or damaged areas were simply repaired by replacing individual straw bundles.
Pantry from Szenterzsébethegy
The food storage pantry beside the house includes a small lockable storage room, an open shed in front of it, and an earth cellar built alongside. The cool cellar was used to store wine, potatoes and fruit, while grain – and during the summer months, bread – was kept in the small storage room. Corn was dried in the attic above.
A special feature of this pantry is that it was built not from horizontal log beams but from woven wattle walls. This type of wall construction was also common in the region for farm buildings and cellars. Construction began by laying timber sills into which upright stakes were driven at regular intervals. Hazel branches were then woven between the stakes to create the wall framework. Finally, both sides of the wall were plastered with clay mixed with chaff and finished with a coat of white limewash.
