Wildeshausen lays in the glacial valley of the Hunte, so we have a lot of water here. Well, if only we had so much of everything! But of course that doesn't mean everything is drinkable water quality, oh no! In Zwischenbrücken for example, beyond the Hunte, there is only brackish water that can be only used for cleaning at best. However, there are a number of selected locations in the urban area of Wildeshausen where the fountain supplies decent clear water. And this is linked to a traditional Wildeshausen institution: for at least 300 years, probably even longer we have had well and pump communities. Such a pump community usually consisted of around 10 to 14 houses. The costs for maintaining the well and the pump were passed on to all members. The joint owners of the pump alternated in the responsibility for the operation of the pump. For this purpose, a "pump master" was named every year. On the evening of St. Martin's Day, everyone involved came together in the house of the incumbent pump master. Income and expenditure were checked using the "pump book", and then the equipment, surplus and book were handed over to the new pump master- the neighbor who lived in the clockwise direction. Finally, the whole thing was doused with a bottle of brandy, the so-called "Lötwasser". The new pump master now had to ensure for a year that the pump was working right for all authorized people. He was responsible for the key to the pump in case the pump needed repairs. The pump handle always had to be raised with the pump rod in winter so that it did not freeze. It was also necessary to grit the area around the well when it was icy so that no one was injured. The water could be fetched for drinking, cooking, for the cattle and for washing. But washing at the well and fiddling around with soap was forbidden with a fine. It is also clear, naturally, the well must not be polluted.
Many of the pumps have now completely disappeared, but one very special pump is still on the market square today. It was built there in 1747 because additional extinguishing water was needed. In the years before, one had had bad experiences with fire in the city. Oh, and I have to tell you this too. Here in the Düsternstraße, near by my place, there were even two pumps. The old postman Duweneck, maybe you still know him, once told me that there used to be a yard there with lots of cats. "Tomcat" is popularly called "Bolzen", which is why one area of the cul-de-sac was called "Bolzensack", but the other end was called "Kattenbüdel" because of the cats. Haha, I don't know if I should believe that either. Old Duweneck was known for being a rascal and while he was telling me that at the time, he grinned so funnily!