This past weekend I attended Darp Day in Neubergthal. I’ve told you about this place before, a long time ago. But, like Doc Brown in Back to the Future says, “WE HAVE TO BACK!” (Why did I write such a nerdy thing? No idea. I refuse to delete. ONWARD.)
This time, I went with friends. After attending an amazing Auxiliary event at the Mennonite Heritage Village with friends this past summer, I was inspired to visit Neurbegthal with them. I asked if they’d be interested in seeing if we could maybe even book the Herdsman House during Darp Days. They were. I contacted Margruite, the artist who hosts guests at the Herdsman House, and she said that night was available for us. Our plan was taking shape!
I feel like everyone says it — this place is magic. Like stepping back in time.
But I’m here to tell you specifically about sleeping in a sleep bench (Schlopbeintj or Schlafbank, according to Himmelbleiw).
Initially, it does not sound great. These are wooden benches, and you lift the lid up and a body fits inside. Hmmm what else does that sound like? If you’re thinking coffin, then you and I are tracking. In fact, Andrew and I wrote and posted an article about a movie wherein the main characters are murderers who hid a body in a “window seat” that in the movie looks and functions exactly like a sleep bench… and there is in fact a Mennonite connection there. But anyway, the sleep benches’ role in that classic movie makes me think ‘coffin’ as well.
But this one was sooooo comfy and I was soooooo pleased to tuck in there, that my friend Kerry laughed and asked if they should close the lid on me hahaha
This is what it looks like at the Herdsman House when it is made up for someone to sleep on/in:
And here is what a sleep bench looks like during the day:
And here is my view from my perch on the sleep bench at the Herdsman House:
I should tell you a bit about the function of the sleep bench. It’s kind of like day bed except not cushy. By day it’s a hard wooden bench. You can seat a bunch of people on there. And then at night you open the lid and reveal the bed inside. You can also pull it out a bit so it’s wider. I think I may have heard stories of four children sleeping in one bed, yikes. I was very happy to have this little bed entirely to myself. It was very luxurious.
I wonder when Mennonites started using sleep benches. I suspect it began sometime during their 250-year sojourn in Poland/Prussia but I could be wrong. I do know they brought this over from the “old world”. Which Mennonites brought it over (Kanadier or Russlaender) I do not know. I mean, Neubergthal is not really a Russlaender village, as it was established in 1876. And the MHV in Steinbach (which has many sleep benches in its housebarns) is also not a Russlaender village, as its homes represent the lives of Kanadier, as far as I know.
Anyway, look what else is in the Herdsman House!
Look carefully at the green cabinet on the right (the one that goes to the ceiling) — you see that its doors are open? Peer inside, and you see THIS:
In case you think the Herdsman House does not have any “normal” beds, don’t worry — it does. There are two bedrooms. Here is a view into one of them:
This all worked out quite well — so my friends each could take a bedroom and I (the shortest one, I think) claimed the sleep bench in the main room. This also worked out well because I’m an early, yet extremely clumsy, riser — fumbling around making coffee and making accidental random crashing noises for a ridiculous amount of time. Very sorry about that. They said they couldn’t hear me — hopefully that’s true.
I feel like I had the best sleep of my life in that sleep bench. Not only is Neubergthal a very peaceful village, but the Herdsman House is also a very peaceful retreat. Margruite has had the mattress custom-made to fit the sleep bench, and it is incredible. Once I was tucked in for the night, I took this happy picture before turning out the light for the night:
Good night!