The German state of Württemberg is believed to be the original breeding ground for the Black Spitz or Spitzer (also Mannheimer Spitz).
The typical task of this Weinbergspitze was to protect the ripe, precious grapes from four-legged and two-legged thieves. During the day the dogs scared away birds and other animals and at night the invisible black dog made sure that grape thieves had little chance of causing any damage.
The hunters accepted the independent, freely kept dogs because they showed no inclination to poach, but also could not be trained as a hunting dog.
The black Spitz gained in importance in the 19th century and was very popular with vintners and vintners. They bred the black spitz and were the first to successfully present them at international breed shows.
A former witness from the Weinbergspitz:The urban monument in Stuttgart
Stuttgart shares the fate of all large cities: the mighty expansion does not add to the charm of the area; slowly but steadily the sea of houses swells along the heights; the violet shimmering hills of vines, which often shine so wonderfully in the evening sun, are melting together and with them the ancient, conservative estate of the wine gardeners, popularly known as Wengerter.
So it was a nice thought for the citizens' association of the lower town that they wanted to preserve the memory of their popular status in an artistic form for all time. And which place would have been more suitable for this than Urbansplatz, so beautifully decorated with gardens by the horticultural inspector Ehmann, dedicated to Urban, the patron saint of winegrowers! Prof. Lauser, whose active initiative owes much to this monument matter, contacted the sculptor Ad. Stranger, the creator of the night watchman fountain, the Liszt monument, the large figures on the King Charles Bridge, with the wish to get a model of an "Urban" with buns full of grapes, sitting resting on a piece of wall over a natural substructure of rocks , and not on an architectural pedestal. Both gentlemen, Lauser and Fremd, agreed from the beginning that this was not a depiction of St. Urban, who was handed down to us as the patron saint of vine growers - once as a bishop in southern France in the fourth century, and again as a German apostle in the seventh century, who is said to have introduced vine growing in our area — could act, especially since there are no pictorial traditions.
On the other hand, a figure from the people, understandable to everyone, seemed to be the only right thing here, i.e. a typical figure from the vintner's estate, so that here in artistic conception that figure reappeared that used to be - more folksy, of course as artistic—looking down on the city from the Kanonenweg. This is how the monument of this vintner, typical in his shape and his centuries-old costume, came about. On a substructure made of boulders, i. H. from the scattered stones of the old volcanic cauldron, called "Randecker Maar", is put together by Prof. Lauser in a free painterly grouping, with houseleek, lavender, sedum etc. growing through it, and so should correspond more to the beautiful garden complex than a strictly archi tectonic form, a kind of resting place rises, like a piece of vineyard wall in roughly hewn cornstone. Our Urban, our vintner, is sitting on it. He may have worked hard that day to reap the golden glittering blessing; lightly, in an unconstrained posture, he rests his bare right arm on the wall, while his left hand holds the golden cup. A reflection of peace, the pleasant feeling of a beneficial hard work, which this time the happiness of the sun laughed so richly, transfigures the whole figure, speaks from the pronounced pithy head, which appears so characteristic in its features, as one would like to see it like a Kind of family resemblance can be observed everywhere in the wine-growing population of our area. Over his open shirt, which leaves his chest exposed, he wears the lender, a leather jacket that has been used by winegrowers in all countries for centuries and, like our Urban, makes it easier for them to carry the heavy bags laden with grapes. The head is covered with the well-known turned-on cap, while the strong legs are clad in leather breeches, stockings and buckled shoes. But in front of our Urban sits his inseparable companion, a dog, the well-known “Wengerterspitz”. Like the plastic overall effect of the work, the color effect is also extremely fortunate. The magnificent patina, the old bronze tone of the figure (cast in wax melting at Milberg-Feuerbach) contrasts very nicely with the light gray of the cornstone and with the substructure, which is so richly colored due to the undergrowth of plants. The green of the grounds and the background in the form of a cluster of vines give the beautiful final chord to the happy overall mood. [1]
Urbansplatz, inaugurated in 1892, was named after St. Urban, the patron saint of winegrowers. Unfortunately, the Urban statue was melted down during World War II in the 1940s and was never rebuilt.
After the Second World War, industrialization determined the significant change in the landscape and the use of farmland and animals. The cultivation areas shrank, the keeping and breeding of the black tip came to an abrupt end with very few exceptions.
Correction of the image of the urban monument in
The German Spitz in words and pictures" - Chapter III - 4th edition 1954
The book contains a picture of the former cowherd monument (by August Schmiemann) from Bochum, which is referred to as an urban monument. This monument also fell victim to the Second World War, was redesigned by Walter Kruse and inaugurated on January 13, 1962.
Sources:
[1] Württembergische Bauzeitung No. 20, Volume 1 of May 7th, 1904
Swabian homeland 2019/4, "The city in the vineyard viticulture and urban development in Stuttgart" by Christine Krämer
“The German Spitz” - 4th edition 1954
Association for German Lace e.V. - 4th edition 1954 - pages 24 to 28