The renovated and revitalised cottage features an exposed wooden frame of its half-timbered walls and preserved original parts of the original window and door joinery and woodcarved decorations.

History

The cottage was built of brick and stone in the first quarter of the 19th century, with alteration works being performed in the first quarter of the 20th century later on. The 19th-century origin of the house is clearly evident when looking at its architectural form, the type of timber framing used, the presence of wattle-and-daub infills, the type of roof truss used and the manner in which its individual parts were produced as well as certain parts of the window joinery. The gatehouse which accompanies the cottage was erected during the same period. The masonry front wall, front wall dormer, chimney system and most of the door joinery originate from a later period. One may suspect that, as the alteration works were being performed, the cottage was occupied by two families (parents with children and their grandparents), which ultimately contributed to the decision to divide the farm in two. Before 1945, the farm remained in the hands of the Schmidt family.

Today, the parcel has two owners, with parts of the house having been restored in the years 2002-2004; compliance with the principles of historical monument conservation was duly ensured in the course of the works performed.

Description

The cottage is located in the middle of the village, near the crossroads, on the western side of the local church. The house is positioned in a side-gabled arrangement vis-a-vis the unpaved village road, with the gatehouse facing the nearby paved road.

The house is a wide-front cottage built by local carpenters using the traditional half-timbered construction technique.

The building was erected on a rectangular floor plan sized ca. 20 x 9.6 metres, its front façade facing the north. The building has three entrances in total: two on its shorter axis, near the eastern gable, as well as one in the rear wall (near the south-western corner), added at a later date. The cuboid body of the house is covered with a tall gable roof; the roof of the wall dormer projecting from the front section of the house is likewise of the gable type. The total height of the building is approximately 8.5 metres, with the roof being 2.5 times as tall as the walls below. The cottage is a single-storey structure, the height of the rooms being ca. 2.2 metres; the house has no basement of any kind but features a two-storey attic which performs both residential and storage functions.

Originally, the half-timbered walls features wattle-and-daub (clay) infills. The structural framework is made up of rhythmically spaced posts, embedded in the sill plate, fastened with top plates and bound together with a single set of lintels. The spaces between the posts and beams are plastered and whitewashed. The front wall was reconstructed as a brick structure and covered with plaster, while the western, half-timbered wall is clad with weatherboards. The roof is made up of a rafter and collar structure with intermediate purlins and double queen-post supports, the constituent timber components being hand-finished. The roof is clad with overlapping cement roof tiles. Inside, the house features wooden beamed ceilings with smooth clay plaster finish.

The façade divisions are asymmetrical in nature, reflecting the fact that the house had been occupied by two families. The half-timbered walls are accentuated by the exposed wooden structural framework which remains in stark contrast with the plastered and whitewashed spaces between the beams.

The interior generally follows a two-bay layout, with a three-bay layout used for the middle section of the house. An asymmetrical vestibule runs alongside the shorter axis of the building, reaching all the way from one side to another. Residential quarters are located in the front section and near the eastern gable end, while the rear suite of rooms contains the kitchens and pantries.

The cottage features surviving original door and window joinery (19th century, first quarter of the 20th century), with metal fittings fashioned by the local blacksmith. The period windows can be divided into two types: casement windows with two (or four) pairs of casements hinged at the sides, one set opening inward, the other swinging outward (the so-called Polish windows), featuring period metal fittings and window shutters, as well as solid-frame, single-rebate casement windows with four casements divided by an asymmetrical, cruciform arrangement of mullions and transoms. The double door up front is of the panelled type, with transom light and strap hinges, comes equipped with a mortise lock and a repoussé door handle.

Private property. The building is clearly visible from the street. Viewing of the interior is only possible by arrangement with the owner.

compiled by Waldemar Witek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Szczecin, 20-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Witek W., Słowino (gm. Darłowo) - wieś na szlaku „Kraina w Kratę” - ochrona krajobrazu kulturowego, [in:] Opęchowski M. (ed.), IV Polsko-Niemiecka Konferencja Architektura Ryglowa - wspólne dziedzictwo, Szczecin 2003, pp. 319-327.
• Witek W., Witek M., Idea projektu „żywy skansen Słowino” jako przykład ochrony krajobrazu kulturowego, [in:] Rączkowski W., Sroka J. (ed.), Historia i kultura Ziemi Sławieńskiej, vol. 4: Gmina Darłowo, Sławno 2007, pp. 317-339.
• Witek W., Witek M., Warsztaty konserwatorsko-budowlane w Słowinie: „Dawne konstrukcje - nowe marzenia”, “Zachodniopomorskie Wiadomości Konserwatorskie” Vol. II/2007, M. Opęchowski (ed.), pp. 59-67.