No One Builds Walls Like This Anymore!

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For centuries, rural houses in western Germany were protected from wind and driving rain using simple materials drawn directly from the surrounding landscape. In this AgedSkills history episode, filmed in 1973, we travel to the village of Kommern to observe a traditional thatcher cladding an exterior wall with clay and rye straw entirely by hand.

Working on a half-timbered farmhouse dated to the early 18th century, the craftsman prepares the weather-facing gable wall using techniques shaped by local climate and long experience. Oak poles, hazel rods, and layers of clay plaster form the foundation for the straw covering. Carefully combed and cut rye straw is dipped into clay and applied in overlapping layers, creating a dense, rain-shedding surface that also provides insulation.

The film documents each stage of the process, from preparing the clay mortar and straw bundles to building up the wall layer by layer. It also explores regional variations in wall protection, the role of clay as a universal building material before cement, and the cooperative labor traditions that once sustained rural construction. Preserved and demonstrated at the Rhineland Open-Air Museum, this nearly forgotten craft reveals how modest materials and skilled hands once ensured the durability of everyday buildings.

Original source material:
Verkleiden der Wetterwand mit Stroh
Published by Alltagskulturen im Rheinland
© LVR-Institut für Landeskunde und Regionalgeschichte
CC BY 4.0