Thousands of alleged witches were burned in south-west Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries. The dark chapter was gradually worked through hundreds of years later. Horb is now creating a memorial for the victims, which should also set an example for the future.
Horb am Neckar (dpa/lsw) – The city of Horb am Neckar (Freudenstadt district) would like to commemorate the victims of the witch hunt with a memorial. Mayor Peter Rosenberger (CDU) wants to unveil the memorial on the gallows field today (12 p.m.). Before that, a history trail “Hunting of witches in Horb a.N.” be opened. A lecture by the historian Johannes Dillinger on the history of witch hunts in Horb is planned for the afternoon.
“Where the supposed witches were once publicly decapitated at the Horber gallows and their corpses burned on the pyre, visible from afar, there is now a three-sided arrowhead pyramid made of Corten steel on a hexagonal foundation,” the city said about the rust-red memorial. It is provided with a resolution that the municipal council passed in December 2019.
In addition to commemorating the atrocities of the time, the whole thing should also serve as a reminder for the future with a view to human dignity and human rights. The initiative for the historical reappraisal came from the citizenry.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, several thousand alleged witches were burned in south-west Germany. Several cities commemorate this with commemorative plaques, exhibitions or memorials such as in Horb.