“So geht’s Bobingen zu!” ever heard this saying? The Bobinger Büble embodies this very phrase. He sits right here at the big intersection near the church square in Bobingen. The stone figure smiles knowingly. He strokes a finger under his nose.
The tale of the Bobinger Büble remains well-known today. People often use his saying. They might comment on Bobingen’s quirks. They could be discussing town hall decisions at the local pub. The phrase goes back to stories from around 1800. These stories spurred criminal investigations around 1970.
Even just interpreting the sentence caused riddles and misunderstandings. Does the finger gesture indicate direction? Or is it simply a commentary? Dr. Herbert Schäfer solved the mystery around 1970. He was a Bobingen police officer who later became Bremen’s head of criminal investigations. Professor Walter Pötzl found that the saga was later reinterpreted as a moral lesson. There were even more mysterious clues. They lead to the famous Seven Swabians, but these links cannot be proven.
The core story involves a moral transgression by a young man from Bobingen. Around 1800, he allegedly had an illegitimate child with a maid. This was a matter for the courts back then. The young man wanted to avoid punishment. He sought advice from a well-traveled, experienced man in Augsburg.
The advisor told him to act simple-minded before the judge. He should answer every question with “So geht’s Bobingen zu!” At the same time, he should stroke his finger along his nose. The Bobingen native could best play and maintain this role.
The fellow rushed home and practiced the saying and gesture. They became second nature. In court, he played his part so perfectly. The judge felt pity for the poor fool and acquitted him. Relieved and happy, he hurried to his Augsburg advisor. But the shrewd lawyer unexpectedly demanded a fee. The thrifty Bobingen native did not want to pay. So, he tried his proven trick again. He pretended to be foolish saying: “So geht’s Bobingen zu!” He triumphantly wiped his nose. Thus, a small crook cheated another crook.
A later version of the story expands on these events. The two men could not keep the secret. Soon everyone spoke of the double trick. The judge learned he had been deceived. He had both arrested and sentenced to death by hanging. Supposedly, both were immediately taken to Bannacker for execution. So, it went for both “Bobingen zu”. But it was in a different way.
Pötzl discovered that this could not be true nearly 200 years later. There was never a gallows in Bannacker. Burgwalden might have been meant. However, the bad ending was probably added later for moral reasons. It served to remind people of the reprehensible reason for the first trial. It was ensured that the Büble did not get away with it unpunished. The Bobinger Büble reminds us that even clever tricks can have unexpected consequences.