Munot still rings Switzerland’s last alarm bell by hand

Every evening at 9 p.m., the last alarm bell in Switzerland still rings by hand at the Munot fortress in Schaffhausen, SRF reports. Someone has pulled its leather strap for more than 400 years.

Sabine Hinz usually performs the ritual. She is the 70th person to hold the post of Munot watchwoman and the second woman to do so. Some residents of Schaffhausen say they can recognise from the sound whether she or her husband, Andi, rang the bell.

The post includes an apartment in the fortress tower, where Sabine Hinz lives with her husband and their children. The couple also open and close the gates, maintain order, support events and guide visitors through the landmark, which overlooks the Rhine and Schaffhausen’s old town.

The fortress has historical cannons on its battlements and halberds in its armoury. It was built between 1564 and 1589 and remains a symbol of Schaffhausen.

The Munot also has a herd of deer that has lived in the fortress moat for more than 110 years. Andi Hinz is responsible for the animals as their official keeper and works for Grün Schaffhausen. Sabine Hinz is assigned to the city’s civil engineering department. The herd leader is given the first name of the serving mayor of Schaffhausen.

The tradition of tower watchmen dates back to the Middle Ages. From their towers, they watched for fires, enemy forces and other dangers, warning residents first with horns and later with bells. The Munot watchman also monitored shipping on the Rhine.

The 9 p.m. ringing originally signalled that the city gates had closed and that inns had to stop serving alcohol. The bell continued to serve as an alarm until the early 20th century, but it has long since lost that function. The daily ringing remains as a ritual connecting the city with its history.