Tiffany's Place

Rottweiler History

The words "dogs" and "Rottweil" are usually mentioned in one sentence. Therefore it is no surprise that the first chapter of the Rottweiler history of art includes the image of a dog: Arae Flaviae which was the oldest Roman housing estate in Baden-Wurttemberg with freedom of the city, was located at the southern border of todays Rottweil, and one of the distinguished Roman villas was decorated with the famous Orpheus mosaic (from 1800 after Christ). This mosaic shows a slim dog paying attention to the string playing of Orpheus.

The breed was often seen in the little Roman town. The dogs probably came from the Mediterranean to the Region of the upper Neckar.

During the times of the "Reichsstadt" the population of Rottweil thought very highly of their dogs. In the year 1504 Mayor Heinrich Freyburger even placed his dogs names "Weidmann" and "Pratsch" on lottery tickets, unfortunately we do not know if he won something with "their" tickets.

Already in 1468 two citizens went to archduchess Mechthild in Rottenburg because of stealing a dog. When in 1669 the member of the town council Mr. Hans Jakob Pfister did not treat his dog properly he had to resign.

The reason the dogs were liked so much was their role as herddogs. Until the 19th century Rottweil was especially known as a cattle trading center. Livestock and sheep were brought from here mainly to the Breisgau, the Alsace and the Neckarland. Robust, calm, clever dogs with peserverance were necessary company because of the robbers and wolves in times where wide areas were not settled yet. A real Rottweiler Butcher had usually more than one dog, since the cattle trading mainly was their domain.

The term "Rottweiler" appears late in the town at the upper Neckar, which is very understandable: in Rottweil itself it was known that the dogs origin was here. They were probably first called this name, when they travelled along with the cattle herds in different countries and people saw that from Rottweil came this specific kind of dog - the "Rottweiler".