Dear Guests, welcome to our guesthouse "Alte Schmiede" in Bleckede! 

We are delighted to be hosting you for the next few days. Alte Schmiede is our passion project in a town that has been our dream location for years. We all agreed that we wanted to live in Bleckede someday. However, we hadn't anticipated that this would lead to such a fascinating building project and a new role as hosts. Alte Schmiede made it easy for us: we fell in love with the old timber-framed house immediately and were convinced: we could make something of it! Since September 2018, it's finally here. As our guests, you'll experience a completely new interior at Alte Schmiede, while the exterior retains its historic charm. We hope you enjoy your stay and wish you relaxing days with us! 

P.S.: Out of curiosity, we did some research into the building's history during the renovations – and would like to share some of Alte Schmiede's "previous life" with you.

Hammering it Home

A Brief History of the Old Forge: Main House, Barn, Prime Location – the property on what is now Lauenburger Straße was apparently originally planned as a prestigious commercial building. At that time, however, the address was "Kleinburg 40." The house and barn date back to 1709. They were built by Johann Heinrich Schulze, a "Previous Citizen and Master Blacksmith" in Bleckede.

 Heavy Metal in the Barn

Initially, the barn on his farm didn't store straw, hay, or other fodder, nor agricultural equipment. Instead, it served as a workshop. Here, Master Blacksmith Schulze – with the help of his journeymen – fired up two forges, swung the hammer, and shaped hot iron on the anvil. According to historical records, Schulze worked as a blacksmith specializing in rough work, farriery, and finishing. Accordingly, you can imagine his production as quite diverse: tools and agricultural implements such as hoes and plows were among the products of a rough blacksmith's shop; Those who needed horses shod also came to Schulze's workshop; traditionally, fine metalwork is primarily considered jewelry. Incidentally, being a blacksmith was quite an exclusive profession at the time. According to the Lüneburg ordinance on rural crafts and trade of 1695, only blacksmiths, master carpenters, wheelwrights, shoemakers, peasant tailors, and peddlers were permitted to practice as craftsmen. 

A Craft with a Golden Future

Exclusiveness aside, master blacksmith Schulze and his (second) wife Katharina decided that a loan would boost their business success. At least, that's what an official record from January 14, 1805, suggests. They borrowed sixty-eight thalers from the "communities of Bleckerderholz (...)." The loan, as the document states, served "for the better continuation of their household." By today's standards, this sum seems almost laughable: According to the Bundesbank, the purchasing power of forty thalers would be roughly equivalent to one euro. At the end of the 18th century, the Schulzes could buy about 25 pounds of bread, two pounds of tobacco, half a pound of tea, or two bottles of champagne for one thaler each. The loan likely contributed to covering household expenses and even provided some leeway for investments in their workshop. However, the Schulzes also had to pay interest: they were required to repay "four percent annually in capital," otherwise the borrowed money would be forfeited: "that if such payments were not made on the due date, the capital would be considered terminated." Blacksmith Schulze and his wife proved to be a fearless entrepreneurial couple. As security, they offered "their entire present and future assets as general collateral, and their property at Kleinburg with all its appurtenances as special collateral." "Property" refers precisely to the courtyard with the old smithy where the Schulzes lived and where you are hopefully currently enjoying a relaxing break.

 The couple's investment strategy clearly paid off. According to historical records, Schulze expanded the Old Smithy into the largest smithy in Bleckede. A house steeped in blacksmithing tradition, his economic success certainly helped Johann Heinrich Schulze manage his family affairs. He was married three times and had six children to support from these marriages. It was fortunate that Schulze owned another "Vorbürgerstelle," a farmstead, in addition to the Old Smithy. He bequeathed this to his daughter from his first marriage. With his second wife, Katharina, Schulze had two sons and a daughter. Both boys followed in their father's footsteps and also learned the blacksmith trade. However, the elder son, Johann Christian, left rural Bleckede for the booming city of Hamburg. The younger son, Georg Heinrich, initially stayed home and took over his father's business. Later, he settled in Boizenburg for love. He sold the farm, including the barn and smithy, to Albrecht Burgdorf—fittingly, also a blacksmith—who, even more fittingly, was married to Schulze's daughter from his third marriage, Maria Elisabeth. So the smithy remained, in a sense, in the family. These arrangements, however, did not elicit unanimous enthusiasm: "From the division of this property, one can see that a large number of children often does not work to the advantage of the family estate," sighs a descendant in an old document. 

From Horseshoes to Cigars

Meanwhile, we have arrived in the year 1835. Schulze's daughter, now Mrs. Burgdorf, had her first son, August. August Burgdorf also took a liking to the blacksmith's trade, learned how to handle hammer, anvil, iron, and fire, and continued to run the smithy. He, too, found time to start a family: his chosen one was Dorothe Behnke, and she apparently possessed considerable wealth. Feedback geben Verwende die Pfeile, um die vollständige Übersetzung anzusehen.