Witch trials in Triesen

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The witch trials in Triesen in Liechtenstein took place between 1598 and 1680. Over 100 people who were accused of witchcraft died .

Liechtenstein witch trials

In the area of ​​today's Principality of Liechtenstein, witch hunts took place in the county of Vaduz and in the Schellenberg rule at the end of the 16th and mid-17th centuries . The peak was in the years from 1648 to 1651, when around 100 people were executed. Other trials took place in the 1960s and 1675–1676 and 1679–1680. Today there are practically no files from the time of the witch hunt in Liechtenstein archives: they have been torn out of the log books and destroyed. More informative sources are available for the last phase of the witch hunt around 1679/80.

Triesen witch trials

  • As early as 1598, during the first known witch hunts in Liechtenstein, local juries reported to the authorities the suspicious behavior of a woman from Schaan who had stayed overnight in Triesen and was accused of flying witches at night .
  • A woman named Nesa (Agnes) was suspected by the Triesners of the magic spell on her sick cattle.
  • From the large series of witch trials from 1648 to 1651, Greta's confession, which she had made under torture, about the devil's compensation , devil's pact , participation in the witches' Sabbath and weather magic has come down to

In the witch trials from 1678 to 1680, the following people from Triesen were executed:

  • Jakob Rig, 1678
  • Florian Lampert, 1679
  • Anton Banzer, 1679
  • Simon Rig 1679
  • Martin Nig, spring 1680
  • Georg Nigg in December 1680

Katharina Gassnerin

Katharina Gassnerin came from the mountain and was married in Triesen. She was sentenced to death in a witch trial. Dramatic events followed.

The defendant Maria Eberlin from Planken managed to break out of the castle prison. On 4th / 5th December 1680 she had the Vaduz officials by the Feldkirch notary Johann Konradsheim a revocation, protest, contradiction it relayed to her trial. As a result, the other six already convicted - Katharina Gassnerin and Georg Nigg from Triesen, Peter Ospelt, Maria Ospeltin and Maria Schleglin from Triesenberg and Christina Wagnerin from Schaan - revoked their confessions before the execution with the sword and declared that they would be innocently killed . The Triesner pastor Valentin von Kriss stood up for them at the Vaduz court. But he was only able to raise the required bail for the costs of postponing the execution for Katharina Gassnerin from his parish. With that he had at least saved her life. An expert opinion from the University of Tübingen was obtained, which confirmed their innocence. The woman from Gassner was imprisoned for several months until she finally managed to escape in early July 1681.

The death sentences against the other convicts were carried out in the last executions on the soil of what is now Liechtenstein on December 21, 1680 ( see also: Death Penalty in Liechtenstein ).

Pastor Valentin von Kriss

Parish Church of St. Gallus

Pastor Valentin von Kriss (1630–1692) was pastor in Triesen from 1664 to 1692. Pastor Valentin von Kriss may have participated in the investigation against Katharina Gassnerin. In December 1680, however, he was convinced of the innocence of the Gassner woman, who had already been convicted, and he managed to prevent her execution. He came into conflict with proponents of the witch hunts. Initially, according to the opinion of the time, he had believed in an influence of witches until he himself was put on a list of sorcerers to be prosecuted by scorers ( burners ).

By order of the spiritual authorities under Bishop Ulrich de Mont zu Chur , he had to leave the parish for a few months. Pastor Valentin von Kriss lodged a complaint about the persecution of witches: Valentin Griss, Parochus zu Triesen, complains that in the Vaduz rule in criminal trials everything is administered negligently to the greatest disadvantage of the subjects, and asks them to finally give some consideration. He made this petition together with five subjects who had fled the County of Vaduz because investigations into witchcraft had already started: the brothers Adam and Sebastian Hilti von Schaan, Michael Gassner von Triesenberg, Andreas Rheinberger von Vaduz and Maria Eberlin von Planken . This complaint reached Emperor Leopold I in Vienna, who appointed a commissioner. As Imperial Commissioner, the Prince Abbot of Kempten , Rupert von Bodman , forbade all trials in 1681. This led to further witch trials being prevented. As a result, all judgments of 1679 and 1680 were overturned.

Lawenatobel seen from Triesen

Tobelhocker legend

Pastor Kriss and Christian Gassner from Triesen, a party of opponents of the witch hunt and the descendants of those who were executed, demanded material and symbolic reparation for what had happened and that those responsible be punished. They did not achieve many of their goals, but in folk remembrance a legend was formed about the Tobelhockern in the Lawenaschlucht about a long-term symbolic punishment of persecutors and informers. According to traditional belief, the souls of the deceased accusers - especially from Triesen and Triesenberg - had to atone for their crimes in the Lawenatobel on the Falknis , and this until Judgment Day. They were called Tobelhocker, whereby their offenses were passed on to their descendants as hereditary guilt.

The construction of a Tobelhocker fountain in the center of Triesen, which was planned in the 1980s, was not feasible.

End of the witch trials

The Vaduz witch trials came to an end in 1681 when the emperor forbade Count Ferdinand Karl von Hohenems to continue the inquisitions and trials. In 1684 the Kaiser withdrew his criminal jurisdiction from him.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Josef Büchel : History of the community Triesen . Ed. Municipality of Triesen, Volume 2, Triesen 1989, p. 909.
  2. ^ Josef Büchel: History of the community Triesen . Ed. Gemeinde Triesen, Volume 2, 1989, pp. 898–908
  3. ↑ Manfred Tschaikner : witch hunt in Triesen. New knowledge about the witch trials of the early modern period , in: Triesen. Information and communications from the community . Edition 125, January 1998, Volume 30, pp. 20-22
  4. ^ Manfred Tschaikner : Hohenems reign of terror in Vaduz and Schellenberg? - Count Ferdinand Karl von Hohenems and the witch trials (1675–1685) . In: Montfort Journal for History of Vorarlberg Volume 2/2012, p. 92.
  5. ↑ During this time he set up a library in Triesen. http://www.triesen.li/kirche-kirchliches
  6. ↑ Ursula J. Neumayr: For the special honor of God and the most humble recognition of the many graces received from his infinite goodness. Pastor Valentin von Kriss (1630–1692): Early enlightenment and foundation work . In: Arthur Brunhart (ed.): Building blocks for Liechtenstein history. Studies and student research contributions. 3 volumes. Zurich 1999, Volume 2, pp. 113–154
  7. ^ Josef Büchel: History of the community Triesen . Edited by the municipality of Triesen, Volume 2, Triesen 1989, p. 899.
  8. ↑ https://login.gmg.biz/earchivmanagement/projektdaten/earchiv/Media/OeStA_HHStA_RHR_Judicialia_Den_Ant_96_Fasz_1_49_52.pdf
  9. ↑ Manfred Tschaikner: From the Tobelhockern - a lecture on Tuass. In: Terra plana. Magazine for culture, history, tourism and business. 1 (2005), pp. 13-18
  10. ↑ Bernd Marquardt: The Imperial Court Council proceedings against the Imperial Count Ferdinand Karl Franz von Hohenems - Vaduz (1683/84) . In: Anette Baumann , Peter Oestmann , Stephan Wendehorst and Siegrid Westphal (eds.), Litigation practice in the Old Kingdom. Approaches - Case Studies - Statistics . Cologne 2005, p. 62 ff
  11. ^ Manfred Tschaikner: Liechtenstein - witch hunts . From: Lexicon for the history of witch persecution , ed. v. Gudrun Gersmann, Katrin Moeller u. Jürgen-Michael Schmidt