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The
Meier Haus Story
 there
was a beautiful farmer's daughter who was betrothed to the son of a
wealthy farmer near the small village of Unterammergau, Germany. Maria
Stegmüller was very excited because her wedding to Georg Meier
was going to take place the next day. They had been childhood playmates,
and even though their marriage had been arranged, it was an arrangement
that made then both very happy!
 The
long awaited day finally arrived. After the lovely wedding, Maria's
adoring father loaded all the beautifully painted Bauernmöbel
(furniture) that was to be her dowry, onto the horse-drawn cart. The Bauernmöbel
included a double bed, a Schrank (Armoire or wardrobe), a Truhe
(chest) and a cradle. All of this wonderful furniture was custom made
and hand-painted by the local cabinetmaker in the very ornate Rococo
style that was so popular in 1807. Maria loved the painted furniture and
felt so fortunate that her father could afford such a large dowry!
Maria
and Georg were a very hard working couple and quite thrifty. They
continued to work on the farm of Georg's father which they knew would
one day be their own. However, they always dreamed of owning a home in
town as well. In 1823 their dream became reality when they built the
Meier Haus in Oberammergau, a town not far from their village.
 The
Meier Haus was very large. It had a Stube (kitcken/living
room) on the ground floor, two bedrooms on the second floor and plenty
of room for storage or another bedroom in the attic. Maria and Georg
loved the beautifully painted exteriors that were so prevalent in the
alpine town of Oberammergau. Their excitement grew when they were able
to commission the best Lüftlmalerei (façade painting) artist of
the day to paint the exterior of their home in the still fashionable
Rococo style. They were thrilled with the result and the realization
that this type of painting would last for hundreds of years for their
descendants to enjoy as well.
Thus
the eldest son in each generation since the Meier Haus was built,
inherited not only the farm with all the livestock and rich farmland,
but also the beautiful house in town. So it came to pass that the eldest
son of the fourth generation to inherit and live in the beautiful old
Meier Haus was Fritz Meier, great-grandson of Maria and Georg. Fritz
Meier married Hannelore Kugler in Oberammergau in 1895 and immediately
took over the care and upkeep of the family home which by then was 72
years old. Not much had been done to the inside of the house for many
years. But Fritz had many modern ideas and decided that it was time to
turn the smallest bedroom into a modern wonder called a Bad
(bathroom with a tub). He installed a special water heater that would
heat water with burning wood. It also had a spigot and shower head that
would let the water run into a bathtub. This was so much more convenient
than heating water on the stove! He also installed an inside toilet and
sink in the bathroom and a sink in the kitchen with cold running water.
Fritz and Hannelore felt very fortunate to be able to afford such
luxuries!
Over
the past century, The Meier Haus exterior stucco had deteriorated and
been  repaired and patched a number of times. A Lüftlmalerei (façade
painting) artist restored the façade scene when Fritz' father owned the
house. However, nothing more was done to the exterior at that time
except to replace the shutters and balcony. Now even those are very
weathered and the stucco is crumbling in more places.
At
the present time, as we look in on the Meier family, it is a bright
September Sunday morning and they are preparing for the christening of
their new  little daughter. Fritz and Hannelore's first son, Hans Meier,
was four years old when his sister was born just one month ago, August
21, 1907. This morning she is dressed in the beautiful, handmade
christening gown used by four generations of Meiers. Hannelore is
wearing her lovely Sunday Dirndl; Fritz and Hans are in their
best Lederhosen. Fritz is just finishing breakfast while Hans
and
his little neighbor friend, Heidi, are
playing in Hans' room in the
attic. Hannelore has fixed a delicious cake which awaits the family and
guests upon their return from church. Buckets of freshly picked
vegetables, from the garden at the farm, will serve as gifts to many
family members and friends.
So as we look in on the Meier family, we know
that today is that special day when family and friends will all gather
to witness the christening of little Maria Stegmüller Meier, fittingly
named after her great-great-grandmother in whose dowry cradle she is now
sleeping…in the wonderful old Meier Haus...
By Scottie Foster Copyright
1995 |
