Night watchman (Stina Voss)

Stina Voss (19th century)

Stina Voss (in service from1891-1912) was the last night watchman to be on duty in Lüdinghausen. Every night, Voss marched through the alleyways of the town to check that everything was in order.

At that time, the citizens were mainly afraid of fires (Lüdinghausen burned down a total of six times). Lüdinghausen was a small farming town with narrow streets. People sometimes stored flax in their attics. And that was highly flammable.

So Stina Voss wandered through the streets with his whistle, hand stick, small lantern, badge and horn, keeping an eye out for fires. He could then warn the citizens with his horn.

Incidentally, Stina Voss' first name was not really Stina. Before the night watchman did anything, he always had to ask his wife first. "I have to ask Stina first," he would say. And so the handsome night watchman was given the name "Stina".

The night watchmen were very popular with the townspeople because they conveyed a sense of security.

The bronze statue stands on Nyssaplatz in the city's pedestrian zone.