As the Germans accustomed to cleanliness

Brilliant stroke of genius ruler! Even "wild" people can be trained to clean up after a litter, if you approach the issue wisely!

An interesting historical fact, mandatory reading for all officials involved in urban upgrading.




Cleanliness in Germany, namely in Swabia, was not "innate" and even very coercive. For a long time the Germans dump it garbage, ashes, sdohshih pets, bones and dishwater from the kitchen stupidly over the fence, or where have. As a result, we have poor sanitation, disease and filthy in the extreme of the village and the city.

In the XV century, the Count of Württemberg took this stench, and he began to issue decrees, saying, manure and shit, which produces cattle and people, it is necessary to export outside the village, or at least "the river", and then only at night. In the decrees, of course, scored as check their performance was impossible, and the police to each barn to put a little expensive, and bribes and treats for the servants of the law was difficult to cancel.

Then the graph has issued a new decree, which resulted in the Swabian town abruptly became a net.

The essence of the decree was as follows: if you notice that your neighbor a couple of weeks does not take away the garbage, and they told him, that would be punished not only he, but also you. And if you are told, then you have a right to a portion of his land.

As a result, every Saturday all pointedly and thoroughly cleaned the garbage in front of their yard, reasonably fearing stukachestva and neighboring wiles.

On the one hand, we can consider such practices as government enforced snitching and violence against individual freedom. On the other hand, the Swabians very quickly put things in their villages and cities, the perfect order, and the Swabian "Kervohe" became part of the cultural heritage.