The washing areas on the lake shores were known as “laundries”. While the many Malchow lake properties each had their own laundry, there were also specially designated washing areas at the end of the waterways for the other Malchow residents.

The laundry at the so-called bulwark was a public facility for the residents on the eastern bank of the monastery. It existed until the 1950s.

The construction of the laundry platform differrd to that of a jetty in that it could be adjusted in height via a chain mechanism in order to adapt to changing water levels. It was not unusual for the water level to vary as much as 30-50 centimeters between the autumn and the spring.

The clothes were not washed at the laundries but simply rinsed in running water. Any washing was done in the house, since hot water could be prepared there in specially adapted rooms. In the course of industrialization, especially from about the Wilhelmine era, the improvement in living standards led to an improvement in the working conditions in households. In Malchow, between 1870 and 1920, a conspicuous number of new, separate laundry rooms were built as extensions, which made everyday life considerably easier for the women.

The businessman, Fritz Henkel, invented the first heavy-duty detergent in 1907. The intrinsic bleaching agent, sodium perborate, rendered the hitherto common and costly lawn bleaching superfluous.

Shortly before the Second World War, a waterworks was built for the Malchow ammunition factory. It then began supplying the town’s households with running water.

The laundries were used well into the 20th century.
Today they have completely disappeared from the townscape.

The construction of the laundry platform differrd to that of a jetty in that it could be adjusted in height via a chain mechanism in order to adapt to changing water levels. It was not unusual for the water level to vary as much as 30-50 centimeters between the autumn and the spring.

The clothes were not washed at the laundries but simply rinsed in running water. Any washing was done in the house, since hot water could be prepared there in specially adapted rooms. In the course of industrialization, especially from about the Wilhelmine era, the improvement in living standards led to an improvement in the working conditions in households. In Malchow, between 1870 and 1920, a conspicuous number of new, separate laundry rooms were built as extensions, which made everyday life considerably easier for the women.

The businessman, Fritz Henkel, invented the first heavy-duty detergent in 1907. The intrinsic bleaching agent, sodium perborate, rendered the hitherto common and costly lawn bleaching superfluous.

Shortly before the Second World War, a waterworks was built for the Malchow ammunition factory. It then began supplying the town’s households with running water.

The laundries were used well into the 20th century.
Today they have completely disappeared from the townscape.