07 Extra Chur, city of guilds Following the fire of 1464 emperor Friedrich III gave the city of Chur the right to set up guilds. This meant that the town emancipated itself from the bishop’s power. From then on, the new statutes of the guilds would regulate life in the city. Anyone wishing to trade as an independent, or enter politics, had to be a citizen of the town and a member of a guild. Women, non-citizens or members of so-called «dishonest professions» such as executioners remained excluded from the guilds (in German).Image: City archive Chur, StadtAC A I/1.55.03 + Because Chur was a relatively small city, the different groups of professions were divided up into five guilds. The Rebleute guild comprised mostly landowners.Graph: Raetian Museum + Butchers, tanners, and shoemakers were grouped together in this guild.Graph: Raetian Museum + Members of this guild were cloth merchants, assistant tailors, grocers, furriers, weavers, rope makers, tailors, and hatters.Graph: Raetian Museum + Stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, painters, glaziers, saddlers, cart makers, coopers, wheel makers, goldsmiths, tin founders, and blacksmiths belonged to this guild.Graph: Raetian Museum + Members of this guild were small grocers, wheat merchants, pub landlords, fishermen, barbers, owners of bathhouses, cooks, and bakersGraph: Raetian Museum + The election box served members of the Rebleute guild as a ballot box when choosing offices within the guild. Members were able to cast their votes by means of a ballot token.Photo: Raetian Museum +