Cutting peat is a tradition – our grandfathers already cut peat.
During the "exhibition peat cutting" interested guests learn how peat is mined and how it is created, that it is already 10.000 - 12.000 years old and that the peat layer grows around 1 mm per year. It is not uncommon for pieces of peat that visitors hold in their hands to be more than 8.000 years old.
Before digging can take place, a trench must be dug at the peat mining site days before digging, because the peat is so saturated with water that mining is not possible without this drainage measure. The upper turf is then removed to a depth of approx. 50 cm - it is too dry and crumbly to be used as burning peat.
Using an “L”-shaped knife, cut even pieces measuring approximately 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm and lay them out to dry. The drying process takes place in around four phases. First, blocks are stacked on top of each other in 5 rows of 2 pieces each and dried in the fresh air for about 4 weeks. Once the peat is dry, it no longer absorbs any liquid.
After basic drying, several rows can be stacked on top of each other approx. 1,5 meters high. To prevent the stacks from falling over, sticks serve as stabilizers. A total of 3 times after every 5 weeks - the dry pieces down, the others up. The peat pieces are then so dry that their weight is only about an eighth of their original weight. A piece that originally weighed 2,5 kg now weighs around 300 g.
What is or was made from peat?
- In the past, baby beds were lined with very fine, dry peat to bind the smell and moisture
- Bedding for livestock in the stable
- Horse blankets made from peat fiber wool
- Insulating material for building houses