GOATS FROM POZNAŃ

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

According to one version of the folk legend, when the town hall was rebuilt after the great fire in Poznań, the clock for the town hall tower was ordered from master Bartholomew of Gubin. The town council decided to celebrate this important event.

picture: students from Pyskowice

A great feast was planned. A young cook, Pietrek, was appointed to prepare the main dish. Deer leg baked slowly and Pietrek was curious about what the clock mechanism looks like. The young cook could not wait to finish baking and decided to leave the kitchen for a while to look at the clock.

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

However, in his absence, the leg fell into the fire and burned to the coal.

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

There was no other meat in the whole city that could be roasted, because everyone was getting ready for the feast. The cook remembered that he saw two small goats near the city.

picture: students from Pyskowice

The terrified boy ran to a meadow and then he kidnapped those two goats. From there, he took them to the town hall kitchen and was trying to bake.

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

The goats, however, escaped from the boy to the cornice of the town hall tower.

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

There, in front of the gathered townsmen, two small white goats started butting.

picture: Zuzanna Telaczyńska

This sight amused the voivode and the invited guests. The mayor pardoned Pietrek, and the watchmaker was ordered to make a mechanism that would activate the clock goats every day. Since then, every day the trumpeter plays the bugle call and two buzzing goats show up.

picture: students from Pyskowice

The real goats did not reach the tables of city councilors and townsmen but were returned to the poor widow, their true owner.

If you ever come to Poznań, be at noon in front of the town hall and see the goats live. Necessarily.