Only in one room it was really warm.

 

The typical Black Forest farmhouse parlor has a central element, the tiled stove. It provided warmth not only in the parlor, but also in the adjoining kitchen, where the opening for firing was located. Other rooms on the upper floor could be heated through sliding doors in the ceiling. At the outlet of the stove there was a small chamber where meat could be smoked.

The oven or the bench around it is called "Kunscht" or "Chust" in Black Forest Alemannic. The word actually agrees with the High German "Kunst" ("art"). What is meant is the so-called "Holzersparungskunst" ("art of saving wood") for using wood-fired stoves, which goes back to Konrad Zwick, who wrote it down in Constance as early as the sixteenth century.

The parlor was not only a living area for comfort. Work was also done here. Thus, not only clock-making and other repair work took place here, but also spinning or making all kinds of utensils, such as brooms, rakes, dishes, buckets and more. For these activities the long winter evenings offered themselves, when the agriculture rested.

The family altar was also not to be missed in the parlor. This was a corner, usually opposite the stove, in which Christian symbols were collected, on the wall a crucifix, in addition to a figure of Mary and images of saints. Consecrated candles were placed there and lit during prayer. Bible, hymnal and rosary were also found there. Thus, it can be said that the farmhouse parlor was a central place for the whole family and most of their occupations.