The rider with the glass

The relief shows a horseman with a glass in his right hand. It is reminiscent of a betrayal. This historical event is hidden behind the relief:

The Knochenhauer were entrepreneurs who already shaped the image of today's Fleischhauerstraße in the Middle Ages and traveled around the country. They bought shaft cattle and drove them to Lübeck. The butchers worked on their behalf, running their bloody business directly on the Wakenitz. Meat was an expensive foodstuff, which is why the meat trade was associated with relatively high revenues. In addition, meat consumption and therefore the butchers' earnings increased after the plague epidemic in the middle of the century. Most butchers were homeowners and many had become wealthy. However, like all other craftsmen, they were not allowed to have a say in the city. The council was firmly in the hands of the merchants. The first report of "Lerm" in Lübeck is recorded in the archives as early as 1380. At that time, however, negotiations were still taking place in the monastery of St. Katharinen. In 1384, the situation came to a head: under the leadership of the unsuccessful merchant Hinrich Paternostermaker, around 60 craftsmen, including around 30 bonecutters, planned a coup.

The insurgents had sworn not to tell anyone about the plot. However, one of them struggled with the cruel plan to kill the council members and their families. So he devised a ruse. He rode to the mayor's house, had a drink brought to him and told the glass about the planned uprising. The council took bloody revenge: at least eighteen men were beheaded, drawn and/or quartered. Even Heinrich "Paternostermacher", who had committed suicide in prison, was put on the wheel as a traitor while still dead.