Since the 19th century, the landscape of Styria has been strongly influenced by the very imaginatively designed brick grids on hay barns.
They were necessary to aerate the hay in autumn so that condensate moisture is transported out of the hay when the air moves. The will to design and the strength of creativity of these nonprofessional masons with the brick grids, which were often built with the help of neighbors, are astounding.
Since about 1950, other forms of economy have rendered these often magnificent buildings inoperable. In the last 50 years, more than half of the buildings including the bars have been removed and often disappeared without a trace and without any documentation. Only adaptations can give the still existing brick grid buildings a sustainable future. There are some good examples of this in the book. Many of the examples must be counted among anonymous folk architecture. Some should be placed under monument protection as special testimonies of a passing culture.
The rest should at least be photographed and well documented. This publication attempts to capture and discuss in detail some of the particularly interesting brick grids. The examples are grouped according to technical aspects and subject areas and thus also show the range of variations.