The Zimmermann Farm is a location that appears during a flashback in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, as well as being featured in the short-story "Waiting for the Rain" from the short-story collection Remember - Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It was a small dairy farm located on the outskirts of Altstadt, and was inhabited by the Zimmermann Family.
History[]
The Zimmermann Farm was located on the outskirts of Altstadt and was home to Gustaf Zimmermann, his wife Agathe, their son Friedrich, and their daughters Margarethe and Elise, as well as an unnamed baby.
Remember – "House of Gerich"[]
- Main article: House of Gerich
The farm was originally owned by the Stoss family. On the 28th of September, 1704, the farm's barn burned down as Emil, the farmworker, fell asleep in the barn, with a bowl of lamp-oil still burning. This resulted in the death of Herr Stoss, as he attempted to rescue the animals trapped inside. A couple of hours later, Wilhelm von Gerich arrived at the farm with his men to arrest Emil, after which he is implied to have been taken to Brennenburg Castle to be used by Alexander von Brennenburg in collecting vitae.
At some point in 1718, Anna Koch née Stoss moved away from the homestead as she married in with the wealthy Koch family in Königsberg. A little over a decade later, her daughter, Dorothea Stoss, moved in with her, and the homestead was abandoned until it was sold to Herr Zimmermann after Dorothea's death.
At some point in 1774, the farm and the site of the barn fire were investigated by Klaas Gottschall. The site of the fire had never been cleared in the almost seven decades since the fire occurred, and Herr Zimmermann wasn't concerned with the rubble.
At some point in the 1830s, the ownership of the farm was passed on to Gustaf.
Remember – "Waiting for the Rain"[]
- Main article: Waiting for the Rain
This short story took place on the Zimmermann Farm in 1839, during Daniel's stay at Brennenburg. The protagonist of the story was Elise. It begun at the graveyard in Altstadt, where the Zimmermann family was mourning the death of their only son, Friederich, who died from typhoid-fever. The father, Gustaf, broken by grief, stated that it would have been easier to bear if one of his daughters had died instead of Friederich. This statement caused Elise to decide to secretly abandon the farm and the rest of her family.
During supper at the farm, Gustaf was enraged at the family as they prepared to eat, as he considered it disrespectful towards Friedrich to eat during the day of his death. He overturned the table and shoved Agathe onto the floor. After supper, Elise packed up her things and started her escape. The escape attempt was discovered by Gustaf, who halted and attempted to murder her. However, he soon regained his senses, and allowed his daughter to leave. The story ended with Elise, while fleeing, sighting a carriage approaching the farmstead.
The carriage was implied to be the one from Brennenburg Castle, having come to kidnap the family.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent[]
The Zimmermann Farm is seen in the form of a flashback, when Daniel collects one of his diary entries in the Nave, shortly after escaping from the Cells. This flashback is the only time in the game where the player is completely outdoors, and the second where the player is not present within Brennenburg Castle, with the first being the Tomb of Tin Hinan flashback.
As with most of the collected diaries, Daniel's narration of the entry is heard while the player is at the farm. It tells of an event where Daniel and Alexander travelled to the farm, knocked Gustaf unconscious, kidnapped the rest of the farm's residents, and brought them to Brennenburg Castle. The captured civilians were used in torturous, sacrificial rituals, in an attempt to ward off the Shadow. This event occurred prior to the events of the game. Later, Elise Zimmermann managed to escape from the Prison, but she was hunted down and murdered by Daniel in Storage.
While experiencing the flashback, the player can only move slowly, and can't interact with anything, check the inventory, nor use the Lantern.
Developer Commentary[]
In a Developer Commentary found next to the Diary in the Nave, it is explained that the outdoor section barely made it into the game, after many suggestions of outdoor levels in The Dark Descent.
Diary[]
18th of August 1839 – The Kidnapping[]
"Tonight, we will unlock the power of the Orb and ultimately banish the shadow hunting me. I feel it closing in on me and I fear for my life more than ever.
Just outside Altstadt lies a small settlement where Zimmermann, a dairy farmer, lives with his wife and three children. We took the coach and went there. Our visit was unexpected and Alexander was able to strike Herr Zimmermann down without alerting the others. As he went to take care of the farm hands, I began to look for the children.
We should have more than enough prisoners to finish the ritual now."
References[]
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