The rooms in our house had wood floors, except the kitchen which had a red tiled floor. The open Gang (hallway/open porch) which ran along the courtyard side of the house. It only had a ‘half wall’ called a Brustmauer (Breast wall). from what i remember it was probably less than a meter (39”). As six-year old I could not see over it. That Gang had a ‘stomped’ (gschtamft) dirt floor. Before sweeping it, we had to sprinkle it sparingly with water to keep the dust down. This was done with a tin can that had a handle at the top and the bottom ended in a funnel with a very small opening. It was filled with water and swung in semicircles across the floor. I cannot remember what this gadget was called. I think it was something ...spritzer (sprinkler). To refresh this floor they used a slurry of water and clay. The clay had to be fetched from a hollow in the out of town valley. Some people mixed cow dung into the slurry which gave the floot a shine.

I was able to locate my grandparents’ house in Gluckovitz (now Vladimirescu). They came to America in 1911 and the house remained in the family until the 1960s. The layout was similar with an exposed walkway from the kitchen/eating area to the two bedrooms, there was a half wall along the outside. However, at some point the walkway was completely closed in making it part of the house and enclosing the entrances to the bedrooms. > On Mar 13, 2018, at 5:29 PM, anna dreer <[email protected]> wrote: > > The rooms in our house had wood floors, except the kitchen which had a red tiled floor. The open Gang (hallway/open porch) which ran along the courtyard side of the house. It only had a ‘half wall’ called a Brustmauer (Breast wall). from what i remember it was probably less than a meter (39”). As six-year old I could not see over it. That Gang had a ‘stomped’ (gschtamft) dirt floor. > > Before sweeping it, we had to sprinkle it sparingly with water to keep the dust down. This was done with a tin can that had a handle at the top and the bottom ended in a funnel with a very small opening. It was filled with water and swung in semicircles across the floor. I cannot remember what this gadget was called. I think it was something ...spritzer (sprinkler). > To refresh this floor they used a slurry of water and clay. The clay had to be fetched from a hollow in the out of town valley. Some people mixed cow dung into the slurry which gave the floot a shine. >

Hello Ronald, Most houses had a Gassatirl, (Gassentürl) a front entrance door from the street side to the Gang/open porch. My grandparents in Lowas made a another bedroom by enclosing the front part of the porch. The front door was made into window. Our house was a corner house fronting on two streets. Where the 'Paradistub' was at one end of the porch we had a Glasgang. It was a glass enclosure about the size of a room. Anne -----Original Message----- From: Ronald Zellner Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2018 12:05 PM To: Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands (DVHH) Subject: [DVHH] Re: Time to whitewash the walls I was able to locate my grandparents’ house in Gluckovitz (now Vladimirescu). They came to America in 1911 and the house remained in the family until the 1960s. The layout was similar with an exposed walkway from the kitchen/eating area to the two bedrooms, there was a half wall along the outside. However, at some point the walkway was completely closed in making it part of the house and enclosing the entrances to the bedrooms. >