If Ya Gotta Go, Ya Gotta Go

The building behind these boys is a public "water closet". These statues are so lifelike, down to the expressions of relief on the boys' faces. T...
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The building behind these boys is a public "water closet". These statues are so lifelike, down to the expressions of relief on the boys' faces. This is in Miltenberg, Germany, the cutest little town in Germany (IMHO). It was quite a surprise to come upon this.

The statues have a historical significance, having to do with Miltenberg’s long-standing struggles with the Main River flooding. Miltenberg is directly on the bank of the Main. In the old days when it flooded, the water would often flood the entire town center, making it impossible for many of Miltenberg’s residents to leave their houses. There were no modern toilets, of course. Usually, the "toilet" was hole in the ground in back of the house, sometimes a wooden box for a seaty. During the floods, the residents couldn't reach the so often the the male residents would relieve themselves off the main entrance of the house straight into the river water. (What did the females do???) Thus the statue.

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