There are two watchmen’s tours through Vejle, beginning at 19:00 and 20:15. The tours start at Sønderbrogade by the Lido Cinemas/ Bryggen and last just under an hour.

Hear the town watchmen sing traditional watchmen’s songs, listen to their stories about the history and sights of the town, and experience the unique evening atmosphere.

The watchmen are dressed in traditional period uniforms and carry a lantern and a spiked mace – a brutal weapon of yore.

Watchman’s tradition
The tradition of town watchmen harks back several hundred years. Long before a police force was ever established, town watchmen kept the peace in the evenings, lit the street lanterns and kept fire watch.

In Vejle, town watchmen would also on occasion have to guard the town gates, such as when in 1654 the Vejle region was scourged by the plague.

The watchmen’s songs, believed to have been penned by the Danish hymn writer Thomas Kingo, became part of the night watchman’s regulations in the late 17th century. They were to be sung every hour at the top of the hour. The songs had a dual purpose, both to ensure that watchmen didn’t fall asleep on their watch and to mark the hour.

Being a night watchman was no dream job. They ranked the lowest of all and their pay was poor. In many towns they were given extra chores that no one else would do, such as burying the poor or catching and killing stray dogs.

As towns introduced gas street lighting and police stations were opened, night watchmen became redundant. The last night watchman in Vejle walked his beat in 1882.

Today’s watchmen
The watchman’s tradition was revived by the Association of Vejle Watchmen (Foreningen Vejles Vægter). The idea was first conceived as a quaint and colourful event when the town celebrated its anniversary in 2002.

Today there are four watchmen who walk their beat on Friday evenings in addition to staging a number of events around town.