- The bakehouse in the Waldrems, a suburb of Backnang, was built in 1864.
- It was used until the early 1960ies.
- In 1972, citizens renovated and reactivated the bakehouse.
- In 2010, however, they had to stop baking, because flying sparks could have been dangerous for a dilapidated house in the neighborhood.
- In 2013, the ruinous old house was demolished. Afterwards, in 2015, the Waldrems Village and Bakehouse Association was founded. In the meantime, the association has more than 70 members.
- After another renovation, people finally saw long trails of smoke reaching up into the sky again on January 23, 2016.
- The bakehouse has a wood-burning oven.
- The baking oven is heated mostly by „Krähle“ (bundles of brushwood and small branches), and sometimes they also use regular firewood.
- The association members come together to jointly prepare those bundles of firewood.
- Usually, floured bread dough is loaded into the oven. People also bake hearty pizza, salt cake and onion tarts, but also sweet braided yeast bread.
- One specialty is the Waldrems roll: looking like a cinnamon roll, but made from bread dough mixed with little bacon cubes, it is as mouthwatering as the other specialty, the Waldrems sausage consisting of a spicy smoked sausage in a coat of bread.
- The bakehouse people offer bread baking courses, and they organize bakehouse fests.
- They even arrange baking events for kindergarten kids.
- Late in December, a Mulled Wine Baking Event takes place. Mulled wine is offered, and everyone can bring his or her Christmas cookies or special cakes (e.g. traditional fruit bread) to be baked at the bakehouse.
- For more information about the Bakehouse Association see their website http://www.dorf-backhausverein-waldrems.de/.
Photos: Heinz Holzwarth
Translation: Eberhard Eisler
