In the 19th century, Neroth was no exception among the Eifel’s many villages insofar as it was poverty-stricken. Agriculture was extremely scant. Commercial and artisanal opportunities were hard to come by. Some of the villagers therefore plied sidelines to their usual work, peddling carved spoons or basketware. There was a further, smaller sector of the population made up of non-nomadic Jenische pedlars and tinkers. The stage was thus set for a new handicraft industry to arise, one that produced much sought-after articles: mousetraps and rat traps. The needed skills were brought to the community by a former teacher from Neroth, who saw such an industry as a way out of the otherwise intractible chronic wretchedness that had hitherto beset the village – and indeed most of the Eifel.