De kruikenzeiker

This is a small statue of our city’s history defining (and nicknaming) symbol.

Tilburg grew from a small village to a strong and thriving city through the wool industry and the manufacturing of wool blankets. The large amounts of wool needed to be degreased, but ammonia was expensive. Some smart guys figured out that the urea in the urine of the workers could be used to degrease the wool.
Workers could fill a jar with their urine and the sell it to the factories. This routine gave them the nickname of ‘jarpisser’ or ‘kruikenzeiker’. It still is used with some contempt for the current inhabitants even though we do not longer carry our urine in a jar to sell it off!