Fire-blower/Püsterich

This is a photo of part of Nuremberg city wall, for those who don't know it. It's close to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. They had an exhibition on castles (there's a parallel one in Berlin) so I went and had a look. Scarcely had I entered the first room when I was overcome by a sense of information overload. I don't like these audio guides, as they are so long-winded. Looking at the explanatory texts by the exhibits was also difficult with bifocals. I looked at a couple of castle models and some Playmobil knights' castles, but I wasn't in the mood for it. This Püsterich appealed to me. I sneakily photographed it in the guide (photography not allowed in exhibitions). It is made of ceramics or metal, is filled with water and put in the fireplace, and when it is heated it starts blowing out steam through its mouth. No-one knows why. It may have been to inc…