Birthplace Father van den Elsen
Father Gerlacus van den Elsen was born in Gemert, a town in North Brabant, the Netherlands. The house where he was born, known as the birthplace of Pater van den Elsen, is a typical Brabant long-gable farmhouse that forms an important part of the cultural heritage in the region. The house has been largely preserved in its original state and offers a unique look at life in a 19th-century Brabant farmhouse.
The ‘herd’ was the central space in the house, usually the kitchen and living room, where daily life took place. Here people cooked, ate together, and stayed by the fireplace in the evenings. The ‘geut’ was the scullery or laundry room, often located at the rear of the farm, where people were engaged in less clean tasks such as washing and preparing food for the animals.
Here you can also see the ‘good room’. A space reserved for special occasions such as entertaining guests or celebrating important holidays. This room was often more richly decorated than the rest of the house, with better finishes and furnishings that were supposed to reflect the prosperity of the farm.
