The village as a meeting place. Pubs and corner shops – places where people meet

In many villages today, they are missing: places where people can meet. For decades, corner shops and village pubs were the central meeting places of village life. People came to shop or stop for a drink. But above all, they came to talk to one another. News was exchanged, relationships were nurtured, and a sense of community was fostered. As ‘public living rooms’, these places shaped the everyday life and cultural life of the villages.

This year’s special exhibition at the Bamberger Land Farm Museum is dedicated to this everyday village culture, which has disappeared in many places but continues to resonate with many people to this day. The focus is on Franconian pubs and small shops: places full of stories, memories and a sense of community.

The exhibition is based on the non-fiction books *In Fränkischen Wirtshäusern* (2019) and *Tante Emma lebt. Zu Besuch in kleinen fränkischen Läden* (2020) by Tommie Goerz, as well as the accompanying photographs by Walther Appelt. Texts and images offer striking insights into a world that was once taken for granted and now seems all the more precious.

Last edited on 17.03.2026