“Mr Schmid holds a bachelor’s degree in history and geography from the University of Lausanne and is a connoisseur of the city of Lausanne,” said the university in a press release on Tuesday. The medieval history enthusiast will succeed Renato Häusler, who has held the post since 2002 and is retiring.
Like his predecessor, the new watchman will call out the hours from 10pm to 2am, 365 days a year. He will be assisted by a team of one watchman and five replacement watchmen.
The first written mention of Lausanne Cathedral’s watchmen dates from around 1405. At the time, its mission was not only to call out the hours but also to warn of attacks or fires, a preventive role that has since disappeared. Lausanne is one of the last places in the world to house a historic watchtower, whose daily activity has never been interrupted since it was established in the Middle Ages.
The European Brotherhood of Watchmen lists 58 towns in nine European countries where this tradition is still practised, mainly in Germany and Denmark. In Switzerland, it still exists in Lausanne, Schaffhausen, Bischofszell and Stein am Rhein.
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