The lower level of the New Town Hall Glockenspiel shows the coopers' dance (Schäfflertanz). It is said that after a severe plague ended in 1517, the coopers danced in the streets to encourage frightened residents to come out of their homes again. Traditionally the dance is performed every seven years during Carnival; by 1700 it was already recorded as an 'old custom', though today's steps were only fixed in 1871.
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