Can the way people stack their wood piles teach us about the precision, orderliness, habits and even artistry of a nation, a culture or even individuals? Is a stack of wood also a piece of art? Perhaps. Let me explain. 

 This photo is from pixbay.com all others were taken by me using my iphone!    

  The Fabulous World of Piled Wood  

  On my trips through the Germanic countries such as Germany and Austria I have often been struck by both the neatness and orderliness of the people’s homes. As an example, these citizens don’t just stop at putting flower boxes under the windows of their homes, you also find them  under the windows of their barns and sheds! But wait, there’s more…even their wood piles are embellished with the use of flowers! Sure it may add more work for them but the positive visual stimulation is stupendous and as a recent visiting tourist to the Black Forest area I considered myself a beneficiary of their efforts!    

  This flowering wood pile was at the side of a barn that I enjoyed while visiting the Black Forest area of Germany  

  Another barn and another wood pile accentuated by a burst of color!  Wow, these people love their beauty!

  What Might These Wood Piles Teach us?   

 In the article “The Many Laws of a Well-Ordered German Life” the argument is made that orderliness is well ingrained in every aspect of German life. The following is a quote from the article and please bear in mind that I perused several articles that touched on this very subject.  

Here is a Quote From That Article:

  “If there is one quintessentially German word that has been woven into the fabric of society over the years, then it is "Ordnung." Meaning "order" or "orderliness," it represents the legs upon which the nation stands….   It's just one word, but Ordnung's cultural scope shouldn't be taken lightly. It serves as a suffix that can be applied across the board to create a magnificent web of rules and regulations that makes up the bedrock of society. There is Hausordnung (house rules), Schulordung (school rules), Arbeitsordnung (work rules), Strassenverkehrsordnung (traffic rules), Sozialordnung (social order) and Öffentliche Ordnung (public order) and so the list goes on.”  

 Another perfectly “stacked” pile of wood customized to fit over the grate and under the window. Complete of course with flowers!  Are we beginning to delve into wood piles an an architectural feature or even an art form?

I am including this shot just to give an idea of the people’s love for decorating their dwellings with flowers. Very typical and very lovely!    

This one doesn’t have flowers but man oh man is it ever the epitome of orderliness!  

  

This pile started me thinking along the line of stacks of wood as an art form. Its “builder” added non functional windows to create the façade of a little house complete with a sculpture which included embedded eyes and a pipe!   

Wood Piles as An Art Form   

The more I observed, contemplated and enjoyed the beauty of wood piles it got me thinking that they in themselves were actually works of art. How far, I thought, are people willing to take this art form?   

I decided to investigate further and what I found astounded me! There are so many incredible works of art made with stacked firewood one of which you can see in the photograph at the start of this article.   

Click The Link Below.....It Will Blow You Away!

I invite you to take a quick look at this single page of pictures by clicking on the following title: 

Wood Pile Art

I hope that you enjoyed this look at the beauty of piles of wood! 

• Are they part of culture? 
• Do help to define their creators? 
• At what point do they become an art form?

Irregardless of the answers to these questions, in my opinion, a well stacked pile of wood is a thing of beauty!

 Until next time,    

 @kus-knee (The Old Dog)