Zehentstadel Heroldingen

The Zehentstadel in Heroldingen is an old barn in the centre of Heroldingen, a district of Harburg in Swabia. It was built to store the natural tax called the tithe. The building stands out for its large hipped roof covered with Nonnendach tiles, which match those on the town wall of Nördlingen. The Verein Rieser Bauernmuseum took on the task of restoring the decaying structure in 1978. This was the first major project completed by the newly formed society based in Maihingen. The restored barn now serves as a farm museum filled with tools and machines from past generations. The Zehentstadel has a long history tied to the region’s agricultural past. Records show repairs in 1688 and 1722, but the building was eventually demolished in 1739. The current structure was completed later that same year. After the tithe system ended in 1848, Prince Karl of Oettingen-Wallerstein sold the barn in 1861. It passed through several owners before the farmers’ museum association took possession in 1975. The restoration was completed with support from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments. A grand opening ceremony in 1978 was attended by the Bavarian minister Anton Jaumann. Inside the building, visitors find a 1937 bindery, a rarely used wooden harrow, and a Stiftendreschmaschine threshing machine once owned by local farmers. The main attraction is a 1921 Lanz-Bulldog tractor, which was used by the former municipality for breaking stones in a nearby gravel pit. The tractor was operated during special events by a former local farmer who was one year younger than the machine. The Rieser Bauernmuseums- und Mühlenverein continues to maintain the Zehentstadel, opening it to the public at least once a year and on request.