Shit on it! A short cultural history of the quiet room

Shit on it! A short cultural history of the quiet room

Actually an all too common topic for an exhibition. Why talk about it? Everyone has it, everyone uses it – what is there to say? On the other hand, even the “House of Office” looks back on a long history and, in addition to facts about civilization, also offers material for jokes, anecdotes and insults.

It's always been like that, right? This is exactly where the exhibition begins. Even if the crude title draws attention, the presentation dedicates itself to the topic of toilets and their surroundings with seriousness, without showmanship, but also with a slight wink.

The cultural-historical arc stretches from the advanced cultures of antiquity to our days. When did waste disposal become a problem? How did you solve this? The advanced infrastructure for wastewater disposal with sophisticated sewer systems in large Roman cities is always astonishing, something that would not be achieved again in Central Europe until the later 19th century. How did the people of the Middle Ages in cities and castles deal with the issue?

How did people manage before the popular water closet found its way into households? Did simple bedside dishes have to suffice? Could it be magnificent latrines from Roman villas or painted porcelain bowls from Victorian England? Bad words about business are also included. It's always amazing what seemingly unpopular contemporaries were and are still allowed to endure.

The exhibition is based on a presentation by the State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony gGmbH, Rochlitz Castle. The concept and design for the Saalburg was revised in close collaboration - to suit the exhibition location, of course, with a clear reference to antiquity.

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