The medieval stonemasons’ joke that has survived to this day

An unusual gargoyle has been installed on the facade of Freiburg Minster. Gargoyles are usually used to decorate the facades of Gothic churches and are positioned so that rainwater from the roofs flows to the ground through their mouths. But in Freiburg Cathedral, one of the gargoyles is installed in an unusual pose: it clings to the wall with its hands and feet, and water pours out through its anus. 

There is an urban legend telling the story of the creation of this indecent gargoyle. According to it, during the cathedral’s construction, the city council raised the demands placed on the stonemasons without increasing their pay. The stonemasons, reluctantly, completed the work, but to express their displeasure, they deliberately placed a sculpture depicting a defecating gargoyle right opposite the city council’s windows.