he ‘omantic’ conception of the men roaming the town in the night has its roots in the late Iighteenth century. It led of 1805), and collections and reimaginations of the traditional songs and calls of the watchmen (for example, Josef Wichner'S Regensburg 1897). The so-called (calls of the hours) are evocative of the tradition of the night watchmen calling out the passing of the time. The watchmen were by no means always portrayed in a flattering light. Like Spitzweg' napping guard they were depicted as sleepy, lightly or even seriously drunk on duty, and therefore more useless then helpful. Also popular were stories of watchmen as the targets of pranks played by young men, not least in university towns.
