Watch (city district)
A watch is a division principle of major cities in municipalities, the so-called. Since the Middle Ages Wachten . The guards were of considerable military, tax and building law importance. Each guard was a guard Mr. or sergeant before, had far-reaching police and military powers. He could even dispose of members of the clergy and any local Jewish community, even if they had special rights. The guards had helpers: a lieutenant captain, a lieutenant, an ensign and a watch clerk. Only these officers wore uniforms.
A civil company was set up at each watch, which was also deployed in the event of fire or tumult. In the event of a military threat to the city, the respective sergeants had supreme command over the civil soldiers on their watch. The town council had the supreme command of all watch companies in a town. Once a year, the citizens of the guards met for the so-called Wachtgeding . At this meeting, the respective guards announced their duties and rights to the citizen soldiers and the citizen soldiers swore the oath of allegiance. In the 17th century, the cities decided to free their citizens from military duties and called in professional soldiers for the city guard service and for guarding the city gates. Special guard buildings were built for the professional soldiers, such as B. in Regensburg the old guard
The guards of a city had typical local names and thus already in the Middle Ages offered the possibility of at least roughly marking the respective location of buildings and property without street names and house numbers. If z. B. For sales, more detailed location descriptions for buildings were necessary. this information was given by means of additions, in which one referred to well-known typical buildings in the vicinity (churches, towers, inns).
Watched in Regensburg
The city of Regensburg was divided into eight guards within the surrounding city wall, four of which met at the coal market . The names Westnerwacht and Ostnerwacht were chosen for the two districts that arose with the western and eastern expansion of the city . Five guards in Regensburg were named after well-known streets, buildings, rivers or after the craftsmen who settled there. B. the Wahlenwacht ( Wahlenstrasse ), the Donauwacht (near the banks of the Danube), the Pauluserwacht ( Jesuit College St. Paul) , the Schererwacht ( cloth shearers ), or the Wildwercherwacht ( Kürschner ). For a watch there was the local name Wittwangerwacht ( Witt for firewood). The division into guards lasted until the end of the 18th century and remained so afterwards. From 1794 the numbering of the houses within the guards began and the guards were designated by capital letters from A to H ( litera ) instead of names. As a result, it was then also possible to attach signs with short descriptions made up of capital letters and numbers to houses. In 1803 a city map was published without any street names, only with the guards marked. Not until 1808 did a city map appear with street names and house numbers. When the city of Regensburg fell to the Kingdom of Bavaria after 1810 and the city walls also fell, areas outside the city wall came to the city, which were assigned to another guard called Feldwacht (Lit J).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helmut Halter: AltRegensburg Biler one city . Gebr. Metz, Tübingen 1989, ISBN 3-921580-80-3 , p. 11 .
- ^ A b Karl Bauer: Regensburg Art, Culture and Everyday History . 6th edition. MZ-Buchverlag in H. Gietl Verlag & Publication Service GmbH, Regenstauf 2014, ISBN 978-3-86646-300-4 , p. 20th f .
- ^ Karl Bauer: Regensburg Art, Culture and Everyday History . 6th edition. MZ-Buchverlag in H. Gietl Verlag & Publication Service GmbH, Regenstauf 2014, ISBN 978-3-86646-300-4 , p. 260 ff .