The Shepherd’s House

In 1824, the municipality of Gügleben had a small, single-storey half-timbered house built at the western entrance of the village as accommodation for the local shepherd and his family. The shepherds were almost always outsiders without property of their own. They were employed by the municipality for only a few years — essentially “hired.” The shepherd was responsible for tending the sheep of the local farmers, which were kept together in a communal flock.

In addition to the shepherd’s family, various animals were also housed in the building. All of them lived together in unimaginably cramped conditions. Although almost every Thuringian village once had such shepherds’ houses, the one preserved here is now among the very few remaining examples of this type in Thuringia.

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View into the Living Room