Typical German village. Großhansdorf: What a German village looks like

Rodleben was an ordinary village until December 31, 2004, but from January 1, 2005, as a result of reforms, the village was included in the city of Roslau-Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt.

To get to the village, you need to come to it. By car or bus. On weekends, you won’t be able to come to the bus stop, sit down and go. The Germans believe that weekends are just that, that you just need to relax. Therefore, leaving for the city will only be possible by calling the transport company.

By rail. Trains run approximately once every 2 hours.

The beginning of each settlement can be identified by a bright yellow sign.

Driving further, we find ourselves on the main street. In villages, Germans park as they please, occupying up to half of the entire roadway.

Post office in Germany is not losing its position as rapidly as in Russia. Every day I receive 2-3 letters from housing and communal services companies, a mobile operator or from a pension fund.

In the center of the photo is the center of the village. There is a clock, a map of the village and a stop there, as well as the entire administration of the village.

We turn right and see the volunteer fire department. Since it was unbearably hot in June 2011, the guys tossed the ball from hand to hand. I got the impression that working as firefighters does not burden them in any way. During the 2 months of my stay, the firefighters never responded to a call; only once did two vehicles leave for a training exercise.

Every German family has 1-2 cars. Usually they are all small cars, since gasoline prices are high. In summer it cost more than 1.45 € per liter. Prices fluctuated three times a day. Because of this, every driver tried to guess the best time to refuel.

My guest family told me that only German cars can drive in the far left lane on the autobahn, since Mercedes, BMW, and Audi are considered an indicator of their high status due to their high prices. On the autobahn, the Germans follow one rule. If there is a traffic jam or accident ahead, all drivers turn on the hazard lights to warn other road users of the possible danger.

All roads in the village are paved with paving slabs. a) Cheaper and more durable than asphalt. b) You can’t speed up very much on such a road. c) More environmentally friendly.

And, strictly speaking, a house. This two-story house is quite new, but in Germany it is not customary to build houses from scratch, as it is very expensive and cumbersome. Gas heating. The gas is Russian, which means it’s not cheap. The heating is turned on only when it is really cold.

Life in German villages is as calm as in Russian ones.

Everyone from the post-Soviet space knows what life in the village is associated with. Today I invite my readers to take a short walk through a typical German village in the southwest of the country. There are thousands of such villages in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria and they all differ little from each other, so everything you read and see here can be safely applied to each of them. Well, let's see how and how the German village lives.

My village has 3,000 inhabitants and, together with two neighboring villages, forms the community of Hohberg, with a total population of about 8,000 inhabitants. The community is notable for being located at the foot of the mountainous Black Forest, and also for being one of the sunniest regions in Germany.

From the outside the village looks like this. The main dominant feature of the village is the Baroque church, built in 1754-1756. In general, the village, as often happens in Germany, has a rich history: the first mention of it dates back to 777.

It’s hard to surprise me with cleanliness and order in Germany, but in the village these indicators are simply brought to the absolute. During my entire walk, I did not notice a single piece of paper on the streets, they are sterilely clean, but you can already see this from the photographs.

In this region, many old half-timbered houses have been preserved - in the photo there is a hotel located almost in the very center of the village.

Basically, the streets look like this: modern faceless houses with triangular roofs, asphalt and tiles. There are no dirt roads in the village at all.

Also, there are no abandoned or even shabby houses here; the entire housing stock is in perfect condition, which indicates the high income of the local residents.

In the German countryside, religion traditionally has a strong position. Often there are such decorations of facades with religious motifs. There are also two church choirs and several church verein in the village.

Some of the most beautiful houses on the central village street.

The pink building on the left is the city hall. When registering, I appreciated the first advantage of living in the village - no queues. I was probably the only visitor that morning and registration took 10 minutes, counting from the moment I walked through the front door. The official was very nice and smiling. When registering, they asked about religion, probably for statistics. He said he wasn't religious.

Handwritten, not printed. Cute isn't it?

We were pleased with the lanterns that had been preserved from the time when lighting was by gas lamps, as evidenced by the hood on the hood.

Sculpture of Jesus in the church courtyard.

A few words about life in the village. As a rule, people living in a German village are far from poor. Most local residents are firmly middle class. Almost all village residents are homeowners, not renters. A typical two-storey house in this area costs between 200,000 and 400,000 euros. So judge for yourself the income of the people living here. Despite this, people are very simple and drive the most ordinary cars, parked en masse on the side of the streets and in the courtyards of the village.

Another significant advantage of living in the Village is parking. It is allowed everywhere, I have never seen a sign prohibiting parking here. You can throw the cart anywhere, the main thing is that the passage does not block.

People in the village are completely no different from the city. This is not surprising, because the average standard of living in the village is much higher than in the city. And the level of education in rural schools in southern Germany is higher than the level of schools in big cities such as Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg.

The fact that you are in the village is reminded by such buildings with a tractor and other agricultural equipment parked inside. Few people, probably ten percent of the village population, are engaged in agriculture. The rest lead a normal lifestyle, no different from the city.

While walking around the village I checked out the local chicks :)

And the chicks did not take their eyes off the guy with a camera in his hands - an unprecedented type of passerby in these parts.

The monotony of the local landscape is diluted by a small stream flowing through the entire village. There is a walking path along it, but I won’t say that it is at least somewhat picturesque.

At first I thought the building belonged to the village fire department. But it turned out that this was a private house. The owner is most likely just a lover of old equipment and bought himself a decommissioned fire truck, placing it in the yard for decoration.

As elsewhere in Germany, no matter how expensive and luxurious the mansion is, fences here have only a decorative function, and are often simply absent. A high fence in this country is considered a manifestation of the owner’s redneckness and secrecy.

There are no fewer cyclists here than in cities. This is not surprising, because the infrastructure for this type of transport here is simply ideal. If I stay in these places for a long time, I’ll buy a bike for myself.

There is nothing else to see in the village, so let’s take a look at the territory adjacent to the village.

Village cemetery. This is a new cemetery, the earliest burials date back to the 90s of the last century. I walked around the entire cemetery, paying attention to the dates on the tombstones. All the people buried here lived from 70 to 90 years, which perfectly illustrates the standard of living in these parts.

It's summer outside and the whole village is surrounded by greenery. From the hill you can only see the bell tower of the church and a few roofs - everything else is hidden by thick foliage.

I'm returning home. This is the street where I live. It is very small - only a dozen two-story houses.

And this is my home. It belongs to a local resident who lives on the first floor and rents out four rooms on the second floor to tenants. Marcus is a blacksmith, he makes various jewelry and wedding rings from gold and silver and sells them. This is how he makes a living, and renting out rooms also brings him a good income. He is very nice and friendly, we are all on first name terms with him, in general the atmosphere in the house is very homely and cozy. Three of the four rooms have access to one common balcony, which stretches along the entire floor. My window is the central one.

Let's go inside. This is the second floor - the territory of tenants. A guy from Berlin lives right behind the glass door; he gets a working profession at the same enterprise where I am writing my thesis. He almost never leaves his room, doesn’t cook in the kitchen, and I rarely see him. To the left of the Bob Marley poster is the entrance to my other neighbor's room. He graduated from the university in economic informatics and is currently working temporarily at the university. He rarely leaves the room and never cooks. On weekends, a girl comes to him and they sit together all weekend in the room and barbecue on the balcony. Both guys are friendly, but they don’t strive for any contact beyond standard politeness. To the left of the spiral staircase to the attic is the entrance to my room and opposite it to the neighbor’s room. I was lucky with my neighbor, a very sociable and sociable girl, who, when she hears that I’m cooking in the kitchen, always comes out to sit next to me and tell me how her day went. She is very open, as for a German, so we usually chat about everything. Natalie is a student, she studied for two and a half years to become a lawyer, then she realized that she was in the wrong specialty and from this semester she transferred to logistics. Despite the fact that her parents are wealthy people and her dad drives a Jaguar, she receives only 150 euros a month from them, which is not enough for her to even pay for the rent of a room, so she is forced to work while studying.

This is what the kitchen looks like, modest but cozy. True, we cook, that is, I cook (in two weeks I haven’t seen anyone else cook anything other than pizza in the microwave) downstairs in Marcus’s kitchen, because there is no electric stove on the second floor and there is also no sink for washing dishes .

Well, the holy of holies is my cozy den :) There is everything a person needs for a fulfilling life. The heating works even in summer, tested. Fast W-LAN, access to the balcony. There is even a leather chair with a footrest for complete relaxation on the balcony. True, in the almost two weeks that I have been living here, I have never used it once.

Thanks to the large glass area, the room is very bright, and at night you can close the thick curtains and it becomes very cozy. All this costs me 250 euros per month, including electricity, heating, water and internet, but from September the price increases to 270.

And finally, the balcony. We have one for three of us. It’s a great place to relax, but on weekdays I come home in the evening, and on weekends I’m not at home, so the balcony is a nice option, but in my situation it’s useless.

This is how we live in this small but comfortable village.

I have already listed the advantages of living in the village: the absence of queues, problems with parking, beautiful nature a hundred meters from the house. The road to work without traffic jams among picturesque landscapes. But there are, of course, disadvantages. For example, today I needed to send a letter, but the post office is open only three hours a day from 9 to 12, and on some days additionally from 1 to 16. That is, it is problematic for a working person to send a letter. I had to go to the neighboring town of Lahr to buy a postage stamp from a machine there. There are only two stores: “Edeka”, which has astronomical prices, and “Penny”, located outside the village near the federal highway. Again, you need to go to neighboring cities for shopping. All doctors and government agencies are also in cities. Fortunately, they are only 10-15 minutes away by car. This is less than driving from any area on the outskirts of Dresden to the center.

If you have a car, all these problems cease to exist, but life without a personal car will be a little more complicated, since the bus to the city runs once an hour, and even less often on weekends.

That's basically all I wanted to tell you about the German village. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to write in the comments. I will try to satisfy your curiosity.

source http://pora-valit.livejournal.com/1460129.html

To check the deviation of walls from the vertical axis, there are two measurement methods: using a plumb line and using a level. A wall slope of 0.2% is allowed, that is, the difference between the gap under the ceiling and at the floor does not exceed 2 mm per meter of height. Walls are covered with ceramic tiles on leveled surfaces, cleaned of dirt, mortar and grease stains. Old tiles are dismantled using a hammer and chisel. Then the wall is cleaned with a spatula to remove any remaining glue or mortar. If the tiles were previously laid on a painted surface, then you will have to clean the paint from the wall with a spatula or scrapers. We wash the wall of grease with white spirit, because... Even if we remove the paint, not all of it may come off. Preparing ceramic tiles For better adhesion of the tiles to the mortar, before starting work, they should be soaked in water for some time so that their surface is under water. It is difficult to name the exact time required for the process of saturating the tiles with moisture. If after some time (10–20 minutes) you take the tile out of the water and, when you bring it to your ear, you hear a characteristic light hissing sound, this means...

When traveling, I usually visit only large cities, which is easier in terms of trip planning, but does not give a complete picture of the country. Since there are no restrictions regarding the route when traveling by car, it is unforgivable not to look at life outside the big cities.

If Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover are connected on a map with lines, you will get a triangle, and inside it there will be a large area through which not a single autobahn passes. This is the largest region of Germany where there is no dense network of highways covering the country. The population density here is one of the lowest, there are no large cities, there are only villages, small towns, farms and natural reserves.

The photographs in this report were taken in the villages of Tripkau, Pinnau, Kaarssen and Weningen.

German villages are picturesque.

All houses are well built from red brick.

Some are very old.

Construction time: April 1840. And it looks like new.

The streets are sterile - nowhere on the street there is not a speck, not a puddle (although it was raining all night), not dirt.

Lawns and bushes are meticulously trimmed.

All sidewalks and paths are tiled.

The sidewalk elegantly curves around an old tree.

Solar panels are often installed on the roofs of houses.

Village views.

There are few people on the streets, but if you meet someone, you always say hello.

Pay attention to the fences. They are all very low and transparent, often even just conventional. Here you will not find three-meter-high blank fortress walls, which are customary to build in Russia (where the outside world is perceived as a hostile and aggressive environment).

Often a hedge is used instead of a fence.

Volunteer fire department.

Mitsubishi Motors car dealership. Yes, this is an ordinary village with a population of no more than 100 people.

Agricultural machinery sometimes drives through the streets. As elsewhere in Germany, boxes for old clothes (left) are popular.

They dug a hole near the road. We need to protect it - what if someone falls? The fact that no one walks here in principle is not a problem, it’s still necessary. Because a pit without a fence is keine Ordnung.

Every village has a church.

Memorials to soldiers killed in the First World War are common.

In Germany, it is customary to write the surnames of the residents at the entrance to any housing. On intercoms, for example, there are no numbers; there will always be a list of the owners' names with a button opposite each one. In private houses, the owner's name is written at the entrance.

Someone grows vegetables.

And then he sells it. There is no seller himself - it is suggested that you leave the money in a jar. It would never even occur to anyone to take something without paying.

Warnings about dogs are always written with humor.

Signs that hang on every tree or pole where there is a stork's nest. “Preserving its habitat is the key to the future for the stork,” the inscription reads. Every year the stork returns to its old nest, so its destruction threatens the species. Below are statistics of how many chicks were hatched in this nest.

The places are popular among lovers of eco-tourism.

Rural road.

Sometimes there are examples of “native” architecture - a legacy of the GDR.

Once upon a time this was a border zone, and on the other side of the Elbe there were already insidious NATO predators, to whom the builders of socialism were always trying to escape. In this former military unit near the village of Tripkau, the border guards of the “National People's Army” of the GDR were stationed guarding them. Nowadays artists gather and work in the barracks.

The fact that the border once passed here is reminded by a sign: “Here Germany and Europe were divided until 10 a.m. on December 7, 1989.” You will never miss this line anywhere - absolutely on every road there will be a sign “Deutsche Teilung 1949-1989”.

Now it's just a bridge.

Rural roads in Germany are easily accessible from most Russian “federal highways”.

But you need to drive very carefully. The speed limit in a populated area is 50 or even 30 km/h. And if the sign says 50, it doesn’t mean you can go 60, unless you don’t mind 15 euros. For higher excesses, fines increase outrageously.

When visiting Germany, don't limit yourself to the major cities with famous landmarks. This country is ready to open you to many beautiful villages and small towns with mesmerizing landscapes, irresistible half-timbered houses that just beg to be photographed.

The most beautiful villages and small German towns in Germany

Bacharach
Tüchersfeld
Meersburg
Schiltach
Sieseby
Dinkelsbuhl
Meissen
Mittenwald
Lindau
Rüdesheim am Rhein
Cochem
Quedlinburg
Tangermünde
Nördlingen
Monschau
Alsfeld
Volkach
Fussen

Bacharach

Bacharach (photo: @osternemma)

A small colorful German town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, adjacent to the Rhine. Located an hour's drive from Frankfurt am Main. The nearby large cities are Koblenz and Bad Kreuznach.

Tüchersfeld

Tüchersfeld (photo: @timoontravel)

A small German village in the Püttlach valley in Bavaria, located in Franconian Switzerland. Located an hour's drive from Nuremberg.

Meersburg

Meersburg (photo: @bridilli66)

A small medieval town in the very south of Germany, located in Baden-Württemberg. The town is located on Lake Constance, and one of the main attractions is the old castle, built in 630 by the Merovingian king Dagobert I.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber (photo: @heyitsamoff)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is without a doubt one of the most beautiful small towns in Germany and Europe, famous for its bright, picturesque postcard views. Located in the Franconian region of Bavaria. Founded in 1170.

Schiltach

Schiltach (photo: @evanub)

A small German town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, belonging to the administrative center of Freiburg.

Sieseby

Zizeby (photo: @dirk_butzheinen)

Ziseby is a small village in the municipality of Thumby in northern Germany. Located near Schlei Bay, an hour's drive from the Danish border.

Dinkelsbuhl

Dinkelsbühl (photo: @aprendizdeviajante_)

A historic town in Bavaria, located in Central Franconia. Dinkelsbühl is located in the northern part of Germany's Romantic Road, an hour's drive from Nuremberg.

Meissen

Maisen (photo: @rina093)

Meissen is a small medieval town 25 km from Dresden, located on both sides of the Elbe River. Meissen is sometimes called the "cradle of Saxony" and is famous for its porcelain production as well as its cathedral, construction of which began in 1260.

Mittenwald

Mittenwald (photo: @rina093)

Mittenwald is located in the south of the country, on the border of Germany and Austria. You can get here in less than an hour from Innsbruck, Austria, and in an hour and a half from Munich.

Lindau

Lindau (photo: @bridilli66)

A town on the shores of Lake Constance, where Nobel Prize laureates come every year to meet young scientists.

Rüdesheim am Rhein

Rüdesheim am Rhein (photo: @kswooong)

A small, cute German city in Hesse, on the Rhine River, located about 40 minutes from Mainz and Wiesbaden.

Cochem

Cochem (photo: @quinmuros)

Cochem is a small town in western Germany, an hour and a half drive from the border with Belgium and Luxembourg. Located on the Moselle River, in the territory of Rhineland-Palatinate, it is known for its ancient imperial fortress.

Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg (photo: @anna.freialdenhoven)

Quedlinburg is located in Saxony-Anhalt, an hour and a half drive from Leipzig. Quedlinburg's old town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tangermünde

Tangermünde (photo: @herrkolkmann)

A town on the left bank of the Elbe in Saxony-Anhalt. A vibrant, picturesque, historic German city founded in the 13th century. Located two hours west of Berlin.

Nördlingen

Nördlingen (photo: @adrianus_msf)

A city in Bavaria located between Munich and Nuremberg. Along with cities such as Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen has completely preserved city walls.

Monschau

Monschau (photo: @annetje75)

Monschau is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, right on the border with Belgium. Located approximately equidistant between the Belgian Liege and the German Bonn.

Alsfeld

Alsfeld (photo: @through_my_eyes_83)

Alsfeld, with half-timbered houses and buildings with bright orange roofs, is located in the heart of Germany. This is a very photogenic town in Hesse, an hour's drive from Frankfurt.

Volkach

Volkah (photo: @reiseger)

If you are in Wurzburg, you can also visit the small but very pretty Volkach, which can be reached in less than half an hour. The city is located on the Main and will give you wonderful landscapes, both natural and urban.

Fussen

Fussen (photo: @mackklyon)

Another settlement on the very border with Austria. Füssen is the final point of the “Romantic Road” known to tourists, which stretches from the very north of Germany. The main attractions of the city are the Abbey of St. Magnus and the Bishops' Castle. In the vicinity of Fussen there is the village of Schwangau with a sauna complex, Hohenschwangau Castle with beautiful views of the Alpsee and Schwansee lakes, and most importantly, the legendary Neuschwanstein Castle.