1920's - Margarete Bärnreuther

These photo's are amazing and greatly appreciated by me. Not only is it family history but having visited Germany - I believe this was in Germany? - I am amazed that the foundation cement work and the steps are in such dilapidated condition and a picture taken non the less! But no doubt this is between the World Wars and a-typical of that era. This was a difficult time in Germany from an economical point of view. IMHO this is not the German standard in which I am familiar with!

Yes, the picture is of Germany. If you look across the top you can see the directory (album) navigation pointers like this:
MEYER - Germany>>Germany, Mengersdorf>>THE MENGERSDORF MILL>>1920's - Margarete Bärnreuther

In those days, houses were built to stand for centuries and still are passed down from generation to generation (our relatives used to laugh at us (Americans) for living in buildings made of wood - imagine a building that would only last a hundred years or two!). A leaky roof would have been fixed reasonably quickly (easy enough to do with a tile roof), but repairs that weren't structural but more cosmetic in nature were often left to wait. Millers weren't poor, so I'm sure there wasn't any shame attached to the condition in that way. If, however, it was a matter of laziness, then I'm sure tongues were wagging incessantly.