The "Mühlenhof" (in English: mill farm) is a very old part of Rastede. The chronicle of Rastede Monastery records the acquisition of this farm and the neighbouring mill for the property of the monastery in 1280. It can be assumed that it is the same farmstead, which is described as a "whole serf heritage monastery" in a register at the end of the 17th century and which is assigned to Johann zur Mühlen. The present Mühlenhof will not be so old, although it has a very traditional house form. In fact, it is a typical Low German "hall house" in which people and animals used to live together under one roof. Referring to the construction/building style, it is the oldest and most widespread farmhouse in northern Germany. Archaeological traces indicate that similar house forms already existed in our latitudes around the birth of Christ.
The basic structure is relatively simple: at the gable front, there is a large door (in Low German, a "Grotdör"), and behind it, there is a corridor from which the stables branch off. Finally, the corridor ends at the living place with an open fireplace.
The typical form of the present Lower Saxon hall house developed from the late Middle Ages onwards, with the most impressive examples still in existence, dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries. If you are interested in how a farmhouse looked during that time and how it was managed, we recommend visiting the "Freilichtmuseum Ammerländer Bauernhaus" in neighbouring Bad Zwischenahn or the "Museumsdorf Cloppenburg".
Today, the Mühlenhof serves as the home of the Rasteder homeland association. Old customs such as North German folk dances or handicraft work are lovingly maintained in many different groups. Of course, Low German is also spoken here: "Wi schnackt Plattdütsch!".
The oldest active group of the local history society is the popular theatre group "Späälkoppel". But concerts and other events, including a wine festival, are also offered under the roof of the busy local history society.