Wischerinnen – The History

History of the ‘Wischerinnen’ (street sweepers), Commonly Known as the String Quartet

Until the 18th century, street cleaning in Bern was carried out by prisoners ─ both male and female. Each had to wear a bell around their necks so that any attempt to escape could be heard. This earned the workers the name ‘Schallenwerker’ (bell workers). In the 19th century, public attitudes towards such displays of punishment changed, and the task of street cleaning was passed to private companies. The work was then carried out by women, known as ‘Wischerinnen’ (street sweepers).

Until 1921, as many as 60 sweepers shaped the cityscape of Bern on a daily basis. With the introduction of modern cleaning methods and increasing mechanisation, however,  the female street sweepers were replaced by male workers.

The Hofstetter Haulage Company as Employer of the Street Sweepers

In 1865, cartwright Peter Hofstetter acquired the country house at Altenbergstrasse 6 in Bern. Along with his purchase, he was contractually obligated to take over the municipal refuse collection and street cleaning services for the inner city. These services had been divided into five colour-coded districts ─ black, white, red, yellow, and green ─ during the Napoleonic occupation of 1798. The Hofstetter Haulage Company submitted annual, district-based  quotations, which  were then approved by the building authority.

The oldest contract from this period dates from 1857 and lists the tasks and work to be carried out by the contractor in great detail. Rubbish collection was carried out by men, while women carried out street cleaning tasks.

The Hofstetter company employed about 60 women, most of whom lived in the Matte, Nydeggstalden and Postgasse districts. They were divided into teams and swept their assigned district in the inner Old Town every morning. During the snowy winters, they also had to clear the streets and pavements of snow. Each team of sweepers had a ‘Handbänne’ (a small cart) with a capacity of about a half a cubic meter into which the sweepings were shovelled.  The waste was then dumped into a chute next to the old orphanage, on what is now Waisenhausplatz near the police station. Once a week, the accumulated material was then hauled in large ‘Bännen’  (carts)to the ‘Käfergrube’ landfill site on Bolligenstrasse, which is today the site of the Postfinance Arena.

Street sweeping was carried out during the day until the beginning of the 20th century. Increasing traffic led to a shift in 1911, when work was moved to the early morning. In summer, sweeping began at 3 a.m., in spring and autumn at 4 a.m. and in winter at 5 a.m. On market days and during the Zibelemärit (Onion Market), the Bundesplatz, Bärenplatz and the market streets also had to be swept. Between 1890 and 1919, work was carried out seven days a week from 6 to 8 a.m. ─ including Sundays and public holidays. The women were employed on a daily wage basis, which was common at the time, and were paid 1 franc 50 centimes per day.