Watchman (law enforcement)
Night watchman is a historical profession that probably came up with the existence of the first major cities in the Middle Ages.
- 2.1 policy
- 2.2 chess composition
- 2.3 popularly
Profession
Historically
The task of the night watchman was to go out at night through the streets and lanes of the city and to ensure peace and order. He warned the sleeping citizens from fires, enemies and thieves. He supervised the proper closing of the doors and gates, and often it was also one of the tasks of the night watchman to tell the hours. He had the right suspects, who were traveling at night, to stop, to question and arrest if necessary.
For typical equipment of a night watchman included a halberd or similar weapon rod, a lantern and a horn. The night watchman was, even though he carried an important activity in the city, such as the Skinner or the executioner, mostly to the dishonest professions and therefore lived in very modest circumstances. To this rule there are several exceptions. In Bavaria Friedberg example, the night watchman were held in turn by the guild guys. In Speyer was the City Council a well- doped "Night Rath" used with city council attorney, who was the literate and had previously reached a sergeant rank. In Mainz held military personnel the night watch what the Walpode was responsible.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the role of the night watchman changed insofar as it increasingly silent night watchman gave what the invention of the watchman 's noctuaries and laborer 's regulators of the Englishman Samuel Day ( 1803) was possible. These are mechanical watches into which the night watchman a note to evidence its regular walking tour had to put at certain hours in a hitherto concealed hole. In the morning, controlled a police officer, if all holes were filled.
With the widespread introduction of street lighting and new police laws around the turn of the 20th century was accompanied at the same time remove most of night watchman.
Presence
The job of a classic night watchman is now extinct. In some places there is still a night watchman, but then they are mostly a romanticized tourist attraction. In some cities, the city leaders as a night watchman on the go and report in an entertaining way out of town history and about the daily work of the night watchman. In Rinteln and Zwoenitz are nightwatchman monuments.
For Traditions and Customs Care was founded in 1987 in the Danish town of Ebeltoft "European night watchman and watchman guild ". Its members include 157 night watchman and watchman from the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Netherlands, UK, Denmark, Norway and Germany. On March 27, 2004 in Bad Munder am Deister joined (Lower Saxony) night watchman from all over Germany to a guild together. The club name is " German Guild of night watchman, watchman and figures eV". The associations receive and spread the folklore of the night watchman and watchman, for example, by night tourist guides or appearances at folk festivals.
In the literature
In literary texts, the figure of the night watchman is often linked to the role of a satirical commentator on world events. His position as an outsider almost predestined him to - like the fool figure - act as a warning voice of truth, to hold up a mirror of society and to criticize in this way the government and the ruling systems. The figure thus a reinterpretation of the actual activity of the profession is carried out: The one who is supposed to ensure peace and order, is to rebel and troublemaker. Famous examples include the night watchman, poet and storyteller cloister in vigils. From Bonaventure (1804, presumably. Ernst August Friedrich Klingemann ) or the commander of the City Watch in Terry Pratchett's Samuel Vimes Discworld novels ( "Laws are there that you once before think before you break it down. ").
Term environment
Policy
The slogan night watchman state is a polemical term for a form of government that is limited to guarding the security.
Chess composition
In the chess composition a night watchman is not required for the solution and the thematic content of a pawn, which is only used to avoid side solutions. Night watchman reduce the value of a chess composition significantly.
Popularly
The vernacular often referred to a forgetful, slow or goofy people as " night watchman ".
As a night watchman is referred to in the catering and the beer is still in the direction of a dispenser from the day before.