Barbara Zdunk

Barbara Zdunk (* 1769 ; † August 21, 1811 ) was a shepherdess of Polish descent from Marienburg in West Prussia , who was accused of arson , sentenced to death and executed in Rößel in East Prussia ( Warmia ) . It is occasionally claimed that she was executed for witchcraft, making her the last in Europe to be sentenced to death for witchcraft. This seems unlikely, however, since witchcraft was not a criminal offense in Prussia in Zdunk's time . It is more likely that she was at least formally (and probably wrongly) charged and convicted of arson.

backgrounds

On the night of September 16-17, 1807, a devastating fire broke out in Rößel, which destroyed almost the entire small town of Ermland and its castle. Zdunk, who boasted of magical abilities and had previously come from Bartenstein to Rößel on foot, was held responsible for this . According to the accusations of the angry citizens, the woman is said to have started the fire with the help of magic. Although there was no conclusive evidence to support the charge, she was charged and sentenced to death on June 22, 1808 by the regional and municipal court 2nd class in Rößel. Zdunk was supposed to be “directed with fire from life to death” as a “reflective punishment” as an arsonist (“murder burner”). The case then went through all instances of the Prussian judiciary. The evidence was unclear, so she was also accused of being a "witch". The judgment was upheld on July 27, 1811 by the Koenigsberg Provincial Court. However, the court ordered Barbara Zdunk to be strangled before the cremation. King Friedrich Wilhelm III. finally confirmed the death sentence in the last instance.

criticism

The persecution and sentencing of Barbara Zdunk, also referred to as a vagabond in contemporary Polish literature, caused a lot of controversy. It seems possible that the single mother of four illegitimate children was mentally disabled. Today it is also assumed that a group of Polish soldiers who were in the service of Napoleon set the fire in Rößel.

The real background to Zdunk's conviction, which has been upheld by multiple appellate courts , remains unclear. Revenge on the part of the Prussian administration on the Poles or a concession by the judiciary to the anger of the people could have played a role, as could the fact that Zdunk had an unhappy relationship with the servant Jakob Auster, who was eight years his junior.

According to statements by Polish nationalists, the harsh condemnation is said to have been politically motivated. Barbara Zdunk was suspected because of her Polish nationality. It is said that she was in an alley not far from the castle in Rößel and scolded her lover, who let her down. At that time, Polish soldiers in the service of Napoleon are said to have set fire to the castle, according to the Polish nationalists. Since the source of the fire was in the same alley, Barbara Zdunk was suspected.

execution

On August 21, 1811, Barbara Zdunk was brought in chains to the stake on a hill outside Rößel and burned there. According to the records, she was strangled shortly before by the executioner from Heilsberg in order to shorten her suffering.

literature

• Adam Węgłowski: "Tajemnica ostatniej czarownicy w europie rozwiązana" (The mystery of the last witch in Europe solved). In: Focus Historia No. 7-8 (54) / 2011, p. 48.

Web links

• Elżbieta Binswanger-Stefańska: “Barbara Zdunk zm. 21 sierpnia 1811 jako ostatnia osoba stracona w Europie na stosie " , sofijon.pl (polish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archives: Transfer of a maid from Marienburg accused of setting fire in Rößel to the city of Rößel. Hartmann (1994), p. 16. The archive responsible today is the Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie (Olsztyn State Archive).
2. ^ Haelschner, Hugo : System des Prussischen Strafrechts. Adolph Marcus, Bonn 1868.
3. ↑ Podgórska, Joanna: "Pożar z czaru" , polityka.pl. (Polish)
4. ↑ Cf. Zedlitz-Neukirch, Freiherr Leopold von (ed.): The Prussian State in All Its Relationships , Volume 2, Verlag von August Hirschwald, Berlin 1835, p. 422. Reconstruction began soon after the conflagration. It was now forbidden to build thatched-roof houses out of wood. The properties became smaller, the streets wider, the city walls were demolished, and the castle was given to the Protestant community. Małgorzata Jackiewicz-Garniec and Mirosław Garniec: The castles in the Teutonic Order of Prussia , Studio Wydawnicze ARTA, Olsztyn (Allenstein) 2009, ISBN 978-83-912840-6-3 , p. 383. The reconstruction of the city was not completed until 1840. In the German Soldier's Yearbook by Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, Schild Verlag, Munich 1982, p. 236, there is talk of a previous year's catastrophe: “The catastrophe of May 27th and 28th, 1806, represents a significant turning point in the history of the city which went down in the city's history as the “great city fire”. The wanton arson of strangers not only fell victim to some citizens, but also to a lot of valuable cattle and almost the entire part of the city that dates back to the early days. "
5. ^ Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung / episode 36-11 of September 10, 2011 .
6. ↑ Węgłowski, Adam. "Tajemnica ostatniej czarownicy w Europie rozwiązana" (The Mystery solved the last witch in Europe), Focus Historia No. 7-8 (54) / 2011, p 48. (Polish)
7. ↑ On the delinquent's inquisition detention in the dungeons of the castle towers, where she was beaten and tortured, cf. Przekrój , ed. v. Krakowskie Wydawnictwo Prasowe, 1974, p. XVII (Polish) . In Warmia , which had been Prussian since 1772 (first partition of Poland) , no death sentence had been pronounced for over 30 years, even in Polish times. See Grzegorz Supady / PAZ, “Dispute over» Burning Witches «in Rößel”, Das Ostpreußenblatt, September 10, 2011.
8. ↑ Komunikaty Mazursko-Warminskie 1, No. 75 (1962), p. 686. (Polish)
9. ^ Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung / episode 36-11 of September 10, 2011 . Another theory is that the fire of 1807 was set by prison inmates (in Rößel Castle , which came to Prussia as a result of the First Partition of Poland , there was a prison since 1780 ). ( Bischofsburg Rößel (Zamek w Reszlu) , burgen-im-ordensland.de, accessed on May 16, 2014.) The castle, now a prison, which burned out in 1807, stood in ruins for 15 years.
10. ↑ Węgłowski, Adam: Ani czarownica, ani ostatnia, tylko stos prawdziwy , Historia Focus.pl, accessed on May 15, 2014. (Polish)
11. ↑ Controversy over »burning of witches« in Rößel , ostpreussen.de, accessed on May 15, 2014.
12. ↑ Binswanger-Stefańska, Elżbieta: “Barbara Zdunk zm. 21 sierpnia 1811 jako ostatnia osoba stracona w Europie na stosie " , accessed on May 15, 2014. (Polish)