Bedburg (Erft) werewolf hiking trail
Coordinates: 51 ° 0 ′ 33 ″ N , 6 ° 33 ′ 22.6 ″ E
The Werwolf-Wanderweg in Bedburg (Erft) is an approx. 10 km long themed circular path near Cologne . At seven stations with information boards, it illuminates the life and death of the farmer Peter Stubbe , the werewolf from Epprath, who was up to mischief here in the 16th century. The tour starts at the Agatha Gate in the Alt-Kaster district of Bedburg . Apart from the ascent via the Wolfgangstieg to the Karsterer Höhe, the path is fairly flat.
In the footsteps of the Epprath werewolf
The werewolf trail is not a fairy tale trail on which the werewolf is told as a horror character from Hollywood films. Rather, it leads to the scenes of the historically guaranteed werewolf of Epprath.
The Peter Stump case is the world's most famous werewolf trial in German-speaking countries. It took place in Bedburg at the end of the 16th century. The farmer Peter Stump, called Stubbe, from the hamlet of Epprath , north of Bedburg, was charged with witchcraft. He bequeathed his soul to the devil in order to receive a belt made of wolf skin that turned him into a bloodthirsty beast. In the form of a werewolf, he terrorized the surrounding area, raped women, committed incest with his daughter and killed people to eat her, including 13 children, including his own son.
After 25 years of werewolving, Peter Stubbe was caught and publicly executed on October 31, 1589. Through contemporary pamphlets , the story of the "Werewolf of Bedburg" or the "Werewolf of Cologne" spread to Augsburg and London.
The historical themed tour leads through the medieval district Alt-Kaster, the wooded area around the Kasterer See, along from Kasterer Mühlenerft and Erft to the idyllic market square with many cafes, past the St. Lambertus Church, past the Bedburg town hall and through the castle garden of the former Knight Academy Castle Bedburg . Then it goes back to Alt-Kaster. Along the varied route through natural and urban areas, you will always discover interesting facts from local history.
If a two and a half hour walk is too long for you, you can also opt for sections of 5 km each:
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The mischief of the werewolf
- Stations: 1–4, around the Kasterer See, start at the information board at the Agatha gate in Alt-Kaster.
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The court round
- Stations 4–7, hike through Bedburg, start at the information board at Bedburg Castle (parking lot)
The hike is quite suitable for families with children. On the way there are many park benches around the lake and plenty of places to stop for refreshments in the village. If you have a tender heart, we recommend that you enjoy the varied landscape, historical buildings and flora and fauna . The information boards give some very clear information about the history of the werewolf in the time of the witch trials .
Route and stations
The werewolf hiking trail starts at the Agatha Gate in the historic district of Alt-Kaster. The Agatha Gate is part of the medieval city fortifications and was built in the 14th century as the western entrance to the city. There is an information board here with an overview of the route description. Past the memorial for the fallen and the cemetery, head towards the Alt-Kaster castle ruins. The path along the Kasterner Mühlenerft leads to the Wolfgangstieg.
1. Wolfgangstieg: "The demonic atrocities"
Wolfgangstieg to the Kasterer Höhe. Stairs of this world: Here you have to climb 7000 centimeters
“Peter Stubbe is said to have performed many of his bloody atrocities here on Wolfgangstieg. The farmer was born around 1540 in the hamlet of Epprath, north of Bedburg. In order to remain undetected during his atrocities, he tied a belt made of wolf skin and turned into a werewolf. He had received this from Satan personally after he had bequeathed his soul to him. In the form of a wolf, he terrorized the environment, raped and murdered and satisfied his greed for human blood. He is said to have murdered thirteen children. Including his son, whom he fathered through incest with his own daughter. If he could not satisfy his need for human blood, he would kill grazing cattle, calves and goats. It is said that people regularly found body parts of missing men, women and children in their fields. The fear of the devilish werewolf was omnipresent. "
Along the hiking trail at the Kasterer Höhe you pass a memorial stone for the resettled village of Darshoven. Anyone who takes a short detour from here will find a memorial cross for Morken-Harff where a moated castle once stood. Due to the lignite mining in the Cologne Bay , they had to give way to the Garzweiler opencast mine . The residents were relocated to Kaster.
If you follow the dirt road to the next information board, to the place of birth and residence of Peter Stubbe, you have a wonderful view of fields and wind turbines . There may be some model airplanes buzzing around in the distance from the model airfield. There is no trace of Epprath. The settlement on the Erft lowlands fell victim to bucket wheel excavators in 1968, 800 years after it was built .
2. Kasterer Höhe: "Place of birth and residence of Peter Stubbe"
“Peter Stubbe's farm was once located in a small hamlet with 20 thatched half-timbered houses north of Kaster. As a long-established farmer, he had the status of a helper . The Halfen were farmers with their own land, which they received by paying a fixed rent. Since their land retained its size, they were often economically superior to the full farmers. They didn't have to struggle with constant downsizing through real division . Peter Stubbe was considered a very wealthy man with his own farm. Here he lived with his daughter Beell Strump and godmother Katharine Trumpin, with whom he had a relationship. "
To the right of the sign, forest path leads down the Kasterer Höhe towards Kaster. At the bridge over the Kasterer Mühlenerft, turn left. There is a weir at the Seespitze . Here the hike leads to the right into the forest. Opposite the information board there is a memorial cross behind the bench. The 7-hectare lake was created through coal mining and is now part of a nature reserve.
3. Kasterer See: "Hunt for the werewolf of Epprath"
“For years the Epprath werewolf spread fear and terror in the population. The city council of Bedburg and the bailiff of the Count of Salm-Reifferscheid watched this with concern. The residents of Cologne, Bedburg and Epprath no longer dared to travel and there was no trade. To protect the subjects, a vigilante group was set up to put an end to the rabid beast. However, they were still unaware that this was not an ordinary, if dangerous, wolf, but a werewolf. The men were ordered to guard the villages and fields and look out for the animal. Dogs roamed fields and forests to track it down, hunt it and bring it down. The devious beast, however, could not be caught and continued to murder. "
Follow the forest path along the Kasterer See. Here you come to the Kasterer Mühlenerft again, at the Epprath bridge right, in the direction of Sportpark Epprath, then immediately left again following the hiking trail along the Mühlenerft.
4. Epprath Bridge over the Erft: "The arrest of the werewolf"
“For over a quarter of a century the Epprath werewolf did his sinister deeds, murdering women and children and eating their meat. One day, in the autumn of 1589, Peter Stubbe in his wolf form was found by the dogs and surrounded. A farmer chopped off his right front paw, but the beast was still able to flee. While on the run, Peter Stubbe lost his wolfskin belt and turned into a human being. But now he was missing his right hand. That was soon to be his undoing. From this mutilation, the hunters quickly found out that the werewolf was a farmer from Epprath who lived undisturbed among them for years. "
On the way to Bedburg you inevitably pass information board 7. You can leave this on the left and cross the bridge on Pappelallee. This is where junction 15 of the Rhineland cycling region is located as an orientation aid. A little further there is a wayside cross with the symbols cross, heart and anchor. They stand for faith, love and hope. Follow the avenue and turn right at Augustinerstraße. Follow the path to the Lambertus Church. The next station is opposite the “History, Children and Water” fountain on the market square:
5. Bedburg town hall: "Peter Stubbe in court"
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Str. 43, near the market square and St. Lambertus Church.
“After his arrest, Peter Stubbe was brought to the court to be interrogated. He was brought to the city's torture chamber at Bedburg Castle without further ado. It is not clear from the leaflets whether Peter Stubbe made the confession "voluntarily" or only after he was introduced to the torture devices. With no other choice, he revealed all the atrocities he had committed over the past 25 years. He also confessed to witchcraft and how he got the belt from the devil that turned him into a werewolf. He testified that he had left the belt in a ravine near the bridge while fleeing. When the judges heard this, they sent someone to look for the belt. However, he was not found. So it was assumed that he had gone to hell ... "
“Daughter and godmother were also accused of witchcraft and complicity. The death sentence was announced on October 28, 1589, and the execution followed three days later. "
At Friedrich-Wilhelm-Strasse, turn left to the Hotel Bedburger Mühle. Via the courtyard of the former water mill from the 13th century, the path leads over bridges into the castle park. At the bridge to the parking lot there is another information board with an overview of the werewolf hiking trail. Here is the starting point of the “round of judgments”. Today's moated castle is mainly due to the renovations of the Rhenish Knight Academy in the years 1842 - 1853. The original Bedburg was mentioned as early as the 12th century and looked a little different. → main article
The castle is privately owned. The park is open to the public and cultural events take place there regularly.
6. Bedburg Castle: "Tortured and sentenced to death"
Graf-Salm-Straße 34 and Schlosspark near the car park.
“Until his execution on October 31, 1589, the Epprath werewolf spent in prison. Since no interrogation protocols have been received about the proceedings against Peter Stubbe, little is known about the course of the court proceedings. Together with Katharina Trumpen and his daughter Beel, he was accused of witchcraft and werewolving and sentenced to three deaths. "
After a round through the castle park and around the castle pond, turn left through the castle gate on Graf-Salm-Straße, back to the Erft peninsula Broich. After crossing the Christopherus Bridge, turn sharply right into Erftstrasse. This leads along the Erft to the place of execution at the time. On the way you pass the Bedburg outdoor pool.
7. Broich Erft peninsula: "The end of the Epprath werewolf"
Bike path at the mouth of the Kasterer Mühlenerft river, near the sewage treatment plant
“The Schandanger von Bedburg was located where the Kasterer Mühlenerft flows into the Erft. He was outside the city walls. In 1589, over four thousand people from all walks of life, from simple peasants to nobility, gathered here to witness the execution of the Epprath werewolf. The onlookers did not only come from the vicinity of Bedburg. Even from Cologne, 35 km away, people came to see the spectacle. The verdict was carried out in front of the crowds. Peter Stubbe was first tied to a wheel and tortured, finally beheaded with a sword and burned at the stake with the two women. After the execution, a memorial was erected on the Schandanger by order of the Bedburg city council. "
“Leaflets about the history and the execution of the Epprath werewolf reached southern Germany, the Netherlands, England and Denmark. Whether Peter Stump really committed all the murders and crimes he was accused of has never been proven. What superstition, violence, slander and persecution can lead to, the story of the “Werewolf of Epprath” bears witness here. The name Stubbe became synonymous with a werewolf in the Lower Rhine region. "
From the last station the path leads along the Karster Mühlenerft back to Alt-Kaster. Through the Erfttor it goes over the beer equator, that's how the Alt-Kasterer Hauptstraße is jokingly called, since that was where the dividing line between old and Kölsch bar lay for centuries, to the starting point.
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- Information boards on the werewolf trail
- City of Bedburg, tourism, culture & leisure: On the trail of the Epprath werewolf
- outdooractive.com - werewolf hiking trail
- Master thesis by Lena Maria Kaiser: Because he led a Wolff life. Faculty of Humanities at the University of Duisburg-Essen, 2016
- Michael Kirchschlager : Peter Stubbe - The Werewolf of Bedburg (Cologne, 1589) . on historische-serienmoerder.de , 2014. Excerpt from: Michael Kirchschläger: Historic serial killer I . Verlag Kirchschläger, Arnstadt 2007, ISBN 3-934277-13-6 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Achim Blumberg: Epprath, Darshoven & Tollhaus. In: Harff in Bilder.de. Retrieved June 17, 2018 .
- ↑ Anja Schlundt: Lignite mining lakes in North Rhine-Westphalia - Kasterer See. (PDF) In: Final report R&D project FKZ 29822240. Environmental research plan of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, 1996, p. 387 , accessed on June 17, 2018 .
- ^ Bedburg - Alt-Kaster: Welcome to the Middle Ages. In: Stadtmagazinverlag.de. 2005, accessed June 17, 2018 .