Tour with the Night-Watchman

Careless property owners, loitering pub-crawlers, thieves and burglars – it’s safe to say the ‘clientele’ the night-watchman has to attend to in his job is not exactly the crème de la crème of Trier society. But someone’s got to do it. And so it is that he walks Trier’s dark laneways with a lantern and halberd, ensuring all is in order. He can also call on the town watchman if necessary, though it usually only takes a few words of warning to remind those already on their way home to put out the candles, or to chase all the others off the street once the bells in the tower of St Gangolf’s Church have tolled.

A night-watchman needs to be somewhat rough-and-ready and gruff – a man of the people who, back then in the 19th century, were facing famine and poverty. But he also knows how to tell the odd insider story, historic anecdote and blasphemous joke. If you like, the night-watchman can even invite you to enjoy some hearty bread and dripping and a glass of Viez. But only until the church bells toll, of course!