Woman Inwards The Tower, Münster, Germany: Non Rapunzel

Münster, Germany continues the tradition of the Tower Keeper

The Keeper inwards the tower, is similar a shot a WOMAN 




This is non the storey of Rapunzel from the Brothers Grimm, this is a tradition over the centuries that is however revered as well as practiced.   I had the chance to view the only adult woman tower keeper (employed yesteryear the City).   

During my press trip alongside Munster Marketing, I was given the chance to view The Tower Keeper Martje Salje.   

Spending half dozen nights a calendar week 'watching over the metropolis of Münster'
from the tower of St Lamberti's church building struck me every bit a really unique job, as well as hence I was really anxious to view her.

These are the famous 3 cages, but ONLY 1/2 way to the tower top!
Look for the small, really pocket-size walk way inwards a higher identify this area.

The enterprise woods door to the tower steps.

"Tower keepers inwards Munster: since 1383.  That’s the entirely correct appointment - it’s written on an old document mentioning ii men inwards the tower of St. Lambert's inwards association alongside a  fire inwards the inner city, entirely ane yr afterwards around other large catastrophe (pestilence)."   according to the electrical flow Tower Keeper  

Arriving via bike Martje meets us at the wooden door she has a fundamental to open.   I didn't await such a lovely, vibrant adult woman to view us.    Martje was to a greater extent than Rapunzel as well as aught similar Quasimodo.

At twilight the tower is stunning.  I should convey started a 1/2 hr before to capture all the cracking  views.

When I showtime heard I would survive coming together the Tower Keepers as well as climbing the tower to view what a Tower Keeper does each evening, I started preparation for this event.   I calculated alongside thirty steps inwards my dwelling that I oft climbed several times a day, I would survive inwards 'shape' for this event..............................

To attempt to give around perspective of the SIZE of this church building as well as tower, nosotros climbed inwards a higher identify the clock!

With constant inquiries 'are you lot OK" from my companions, nosotros climbed all 300 stairs.  When nosotros arrived at the grade alongside the 'cages' I was informed nosotros were NOT at the top, but entirely 1/2 way!

Determined NOT to survive the ONLY invited invitee to abort this killer climb, nosotros continued.   The stairs are really narrow as well as every bit you lot circle circular as well as circular the pocket-size stairway, it is slow to go featherbrained as well as disoriented.   However Martje ascended the stairs similar a 'gazelle'. And she does this 24 times a week!  

The tower keepers room is larger than I expected.   On the desk is the brass horn that has denote "all is well' over hundreds of years, adjacent to a telephone that is used to telephone phone the burn downwards subdivision when the Tower Keeper arrives each night.   Such an anachronism, I had to smile.   There are also several clocks to remind the Keeper each thirty minutes during the 4 hr shift, when the horn must survive blown.

I visited inwards early on Apr as well as Northern Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany was simply approaching boundary as well as hence the nights tin survive cold.
The Tower Keeper has a warm cape alongside a hood to protect her during the wintertime as well as bad weather.

Starting at 8:30 pm The keeper reports to the burn downwards station  that she has arrived safely as well as every one-half hr until midnight, the keeper sounds the all is good 'toot', no fires spotted, no invading regular army approaching.    At 12:30 am she volition telephone phone the burn downwards station to permit them know she has made it dorsum to theatre nation safely.  

Martje, is a purpose of many decades of history..

But what does the Keeper create when she is NOT watching for enemies or fire?    Martje, is an accomplished musician, author as well as I would add together 'historian'.     Drinking hot tea she brought alongside her (no Starbucks breaks when in that location are 600 steps to transverse inwards less than 25 minutes) she shows me her fine art work, around of the many books she reads as well as fifty-fifty gives me a sample of her musical work:

At the terminate of this postal service you lot tin savor the translation to of a lovely song.


MARTJE shared a storey alongside me that may survive a legend or may  be true......

The Münster Tower Keeper sent me her agreement on the source of the horn blowing inwards the tower of St. lamberths;

The next storey explains why the dot of the tower keeper rings out every one-half hr though it used to survive heard every hr inwards old times. 

Attention! It powerfulness non survive suitable for children ;-)

“Once upon a fourth dimension a newlywed couple, immature but poor, went on their honeymoon. They stayed at a rustic Westphalian farm simply at the borders of the metropolis of Münster.
The immature adult woman asked at dinner: What are these sounds coming from the metropolis every hour? What create they mean?
And the landlord told her it was the tower keeper of St. Lambert's, tooting his horn to remind the couples who were simply married of their conjugal duties. And alongside these words he gave the immature hubby a wink.”

“The brace went off to bed early on this night.

And the adjacent morning, the hubby wanted to know where to honour this tower keeper as well as was sent to Stuhlmacher's (a traditional inn close St. Lambert's church). 

There he beseeched the tower keeper to delight blow his horn every 3 or 4 hours entirely as well as promised him xx thalers.  The tower keeper shook his caput as well as said: Well, a immature damsel already gave me twoscore thalers as well as wanted me to toot every one-half hour, I'm deplorable mate!”

The residual is upwards to you lot as well as your fantasy imagination!

But these facts are for real: The dot means 

a) the tower keeper is truly upwards in that location inwards the tower as well as awake;
b) that in that location are nor fires, no foes;
c) or if in that location were: ALARM! (very rapid tooting sounds);
d) it tells the fourth dimension (e.g. 3x3 at nine p.m.)...

The High German version tin survive flora here:  https://tuermerinvonmuenster.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/deftiges-tuermergarn-towerkeepers-cock-and-bull-story

Q&A  An Interview alongside the Tower Keeper

I was really curious close how does ane apply for or interview for such an odd seat as well as asked the next questions

1..  How did you lot listen close the Tower Keeper position?
Martje:  I read close the chore offering online, every bit they were looking throughout Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany for a novel tower keeper (for Munster)

2.  Why did you lot consider applying for this job?
Martje:   I had finished my studies (history as well as musicology) as well as wanted to go inwards a town similar Munster, Westphalia,  (a town) steeped inwards history.

3.  What questions did the application ask?  Did the application inquire if you lot were virile mortal or female?
Martje:  the most of import query was whether I similar beingness lone a few hours every eventide as well as wouldn't heed climbing upwards the 300 steps fifty-fifty on weekends as well as official holiday(s).  And the novel tower keeper would convey to know all close the brilliant ancient as well as recent fourth dimension of the city.

4.  What was the interview like?
Martje:  There were ii interviews, the people of Munster Marketing as well as the municipal leaders wanted to brand certain the novel tower keeper truly was a trust-worthy private as well as would remain for to a greater extent than than a few months.  I desire to survive tower keeper the adjacent hundred years or so, as well as I truly love this city.

5.    Was in that location a exam to view if you lot could climb 300 steps as well as blow the horn?
Martje:  Climbing test- yes indeed!  But the horn is entirely to survive played yesteryear the tower keeper on duty....



On September 13th, 2015 the Tower Keeper volition survive called  to band the church building bell :"Rats- und Brandglocke“ (Rat = municipal affairs, Brand = burn downwards as well as emergency - inwards medieval times, Glocke = bell).in the tower when the major of Munster is elected.

The contract for the tower keeper is for life or until the keeper tin no longer climb the tower.  Martje jogs every forenoon as well as plant to remain healthy,   She tells me she plans to survive the keeper until she is '100' as well as it would non surprise me if she continues for many years.

Thank you lot to Munster Marketing as well as my patient host for showing me how wonderful secrets of  Munster.  My goal was to honour solo friendly places to explore off the beaten path inwards Munster as well as I concluded this was a really solo friendly town that I conception to see again.

And the 300 steps to the the Keeper's room was NOT the top:   you lot however had a staircase as well as a trace downwards ladder!  Of course of teaching I took the challenge,  Did I refer I don't similar heights?


You tin read The Tower Keepers spider web log as well as see her website:

www.tuermerinvonmuenster.com / www.facebook.com/tuermerinvonmuenster 

The tower is not opened upwards for tours.  Journalists, photographers as well as guests of the Mayor may apply for permission to see alongside the Münster Marketing

The metropolis offers tours alongside metropolis guides K3, StattReisen or StadtLupe, to larn close the metropolis as well as listen the Tower Keeper blowing her horn.   Looking upwards they volition view the Keeper waving!

© lee laurino

"Here are the lyrics to that vocal I sing every eventide upwards here"...

Greetings from the Tower of St. Lambert’s! Martje

Tower keeper’s Evensong (or religious lullaby)
I departed the world        
 and am standing on the tower,
 I tin plough over the stars
 and utter to the storm.
 I ban all ghosts
 and alive far from derision,
 the air current knocks on my window
and speaks of God the righteous.
 I see dusk is falling,
 the world exhales,
the metropolis drapes itself inwards silence,
 all people are going home.
 I listen soundless lamentations
 down yesteryear the houses,
 prayers as well as curses
 from a black mouth.

I was the invitee of  Münster Marketing for my see to the Tower.   I give thank you lot them for the chance to view the Tower Keeper.  All my personal opinions as well as photos inwards a higher identify are my own.  © lee laurino




Additional information from the Tower Keeper:

All the other tower keepers, whether they are woman mortal or male, are inwards around other sort of employment.

Blanca Knodel (that’s my colleague inwards Bad Wimpfen, Baden-Wuerttemberg) lives on the tower as well as raised her children there.

She tells tourists all close the „blue tower“ as well as gets a per centum of the door money. She also owns around flats which she rents out.

I am the entirely woman mortal tower keeper inwards Europe that is working for the CITY - public/civil service as well as lives on the metropolis government’s salary! The entirely others working for the metropolis authorities likewise are v men inwards Bavaria (in a lilliputian town called Noerdlingen). But they convey tourists on the tower, too, as well as they sell postcards as well as stuff, as well as the don’t blow a horn but they telephone phone „So, G’sell, so“ which has a long long long history as well as tradition of its own.

My blowing the horn (the fine art of tooting) is something exceptional as well as entirely heard as well as seen inwards Muenster, Westphalia 

Different towers, dissimilar customs…

The tower keeper inwards Hamburg (northern Germany) is a Catholic, working for the Protestant church building (St. Michaelis), he plays the trumpet (chorale/hymns),

And the tower keeper of Luebben (Lübben, Brandenburg, southern Germany) is female, too, but she’s truly a tourist guide showing her metropolis to travelers as well as fifty-fifty taking them upwards a (or some?) tower(s?). 

The tower keeper of Krakau (Cracow, Poland) is a fire fighter (!), also playing the trumpet.