Located in the center of the Eiserfeld district near the Eisernbach stream, the former farmstead is an important monument to rural culture in the midst of a region dominated by commerce and industry. The farm probably originated from a multi-house complex, which was still a feature of Siegerland villages around the middle of the 16th century. These multi-house complexes consisted of a dwelling house and farm buildings, which mainly included stables and barns. Bakehouses, pigsties and henhouses were often added as well.
In the 16th century, these outbuildings were often referred to as "Beue", "Beuwe" or "Beuchen". It was not until the 18th century that such livestock buildings in the Siegerland were replaced by the central German "Einhaus" (Ernhaus). At the "Willämshof" monument, several construction phases can be seen on the residential building and the stable barn, the oldest parts of which date back to the early 18th century. There are indications that it was built between 1700 and 1750 in the former threshing floor with threshing room and the entrance to the farm building, which was part of the farm complex.
Around the middle of the 19th century, a further construction phase was initiated with the extension of a stable with a feed kitchen and the covered, unusually large manure store. The path to the house leads across the flowering herb meadow with its fruit trees, past the traditional farm garden.
The western part of the central German farmhouse, which is accessed from the eaves, dates back to the early 18th century with its square, figureless half-timbering. What is also striking is the exact match of the dovetail-shaped lower eaves board end, which is rare in the Siegerland region and can be found on both the house and the barn. The middle section of the dwelling house does not yet comply with the Nassauoran building regulations of 1790 (Skell building regulations), which, in conjunction with the presence of a roughly grouted vaulted cellar and the existence of an oak rafter roof, makes an older date more likely. Although the Hessian buttress formation of the "Wild Man" with the associated neck bolts was adopted here, the two-storey construction with the interlocked sill and the adequately interlocked frame as well as the continuous collar posts down to the stone base were otherwise retained. This is an eaves-standing, two-storey, transversely divided half-timbered farmhouse, the core of which can be dated to the 18th century. In the 19th century, a stable extension was added to the right-hand gable end. The first floor of the stable extension is solid; the upper floor shows so-called Siegerländer rafters on the eaves side facing away from the street. On the eaves side of the core building facing away from the street, the 18th century half-timbered structure with man figures is visible. The other sides of the house are clad in slate or wood.
The original layout of the building can still be traced today. Many details, such as ornate old doors and wall paneling, have been preserved, as has an impressive vaulted cellar.
Photos and text: Arbeitskreis Historischer Stadt- und Ortskerne NRW and is also "Monument of the Month" there: http://www.hist-stadt.nrw.de/Aktuelles/denkmal_des_monats.php?id=MTEz&date=MjAxMQ==