Any contemporary would have named the great palace "Caminata" because
of its heating facilities (chimney!). The main hall had two rooms and a round
private chapel built on to the eastward side. Some signs indicate a
single-storeyed design: there was no interior staircase, thin walls (compared to
the massive, probably vaulted round chapel) and at least one chimney in the
center of the house. A reconstruction of a single large room on the upper floor
(although often proposed) would be difficult because the central chimney would
divide the room.
At the back of the building, a flight of stairs gave access to the underground service area. Here, against the back wall stood a great vaulted fireplace beneath the center of the room above. On an iron grate, since disappeared, logs were burned. The ashes fell to the floor where they were removed periodically. The hot smoke escaped by a system of subterranean stone pipes under the floor. The brickwork pillars of the Roman "hypocaustum" were more elaborate than this simple but effective construction. The stoppers excavated (also found at Quedlinburg) were a further improvement.
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