Originally, at the end of the "Diele" near the back of the farmhouse, was the Flett, an open kitchen and dining area that took up the entire width of the house. The open fireplace, about 1.5 metres across, was located in the middle of the "Flett" and was ringed with fieldstones. It was not like a hearth in other regions. Many types of cooking were not possible in this environment (*). Pots had to be high enough, in effect cauldrons, and were hung over the fire with pothooks attached to a wooden frame ("Rahmen") hanging over the fireplace, often decorated with horses heads. At night an iron grid was pulled over the fire to prevent sparks, a practice known by the English term "curfew". Well-to-do families had a candle arch ("Schwibbogen") of masonry instead of a wooden frame. Smoke escaped through an opening in the roof on the gable, the "Uhlenloch" (also "Eulenloch", literally: "owl hole"). The open fireplace meant that such buildings were considered as a particular fire risk by early fire insurance firms. The open fire also provided some heat to the stalls and living quarters of the "Hallenhaus". In this way, hay stored in the loft could be dried out and protected from vermin by the smoke. When the farmer's family and farm hands gathered for meal times, the best places were between the fireplace and the rooms. Because there was no partition between "Diele" and loft, winter temperatures in the "Flett" never rose above 12 °C.