The gravediggers scandal of the town of Frankenstein
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The gravediggers scandal of the town of Frankenstein- The famous 17th-century case of the capture and condemnation of gravediggers from the town of Frankenstein, today's Ząbkowice Śląskie in Lower Silesia, accused of causing plague, witchcraft and desecration of the corpse.
History[edit]
In 1606, a plague broke out in the town, killing almost a third of the local population. Eight gravediggers, three women and five men were accused of bringing him to the city, including Waclaw Förster, a gravedigger for 28 years and his assistant Georg Freidiger from Strzegom.
According to the accusations, they were supposed to steal and desecrate the corpses from which they created a "poisonous powder". This powder was to be scattered on thresholds, placed on handles and knockers to bring death to anyone who came into contact with it. The tortured gravediggers were revealing more and more gruesome details, extracting foetuses from dead women and eating the hearts of dead children,as well as disgracing the body of a young virgin in Saint Nicholas' Chapel. They were also forced to reveal the names of others involved in the whole affair. As a result, 17 people were hanged and burned alive.[1][2] The activity of this criminal gang was described and drawn by the printer and publisher Georg Kreß in the Newe Zeyttung newspaper published in Augsburg at the end of 1606.[3][4]
Echoes of the scandal[edit]
These events were famous all over Europe, as evidenced by, inter alia, publication of sermons in Leipzig. It is also known that it was described at that time by the Newe Zeyttung newspaper published in Augsburg. Modern journalists speculate that the English writer Mary Shelley may have known this story. Hence, there may be an analogy between the name of the village of Frankenstein and the title of her famous novel about Dr. Frankenstein's monster prepared from human corpses stolen from cemeteries.[5]
British documentary series Bloody Tales of Europe in season 2 episode Dark Arts, presented the history of this scandal.[6]
Sources[edit]
- Joanna Lamparska, Frankenstein – historia prawdziwa, National Geographic (dostęp: 11.05.2021)
- Marcin Dziedzic, Gabriela Połutrenko Afery śląskich grabarzy, „Sudety” nr 2/35, luty 2004
References[edit]
- ↑ "The Polish Town That May Have Inspired 'Frankenstein'". Culture.pl. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ↑ "The Lower Silesian city is the seat of Frankenstein? / Dolnośląskie miasto siedzibą Frankensteina?". PeakD. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ↑ "Ząbkowice Śląskie". Dolny Śląsk. 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ↑ "Sproszkowane ludzkie zwłoki i afera, która mogła zainspirować Mary Shelley". CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl (in polski). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ↑ "The horror: the terrifying history linking a small Silesian town to Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein'". www.thefirstnews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ↑ Bloody Tales of Europe: Season 1, Episode 5, retrieved 2022-10-01
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