The Drudenhaus (also known as ''Malefizhaus'', ''Trudenhaus'', ''Hexenhaus'', and ''Hexengefängnis'') was a famous special prison for people accused during the Bamberg witch trials. The prison was constructed in 1627 on the order of

Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim (1586–1633) was the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1623 to 1633. He was known as the "Hexenbrenner" (witch burner) and the "Hexenbischof" (witch-bishop) for presiding over the most intensive period of witch trial ...

, Prince Bishop of Bamberg, and closed in 1632.

History

The Bamberg Drudenhaus was not unique: smaller ''Drudenhäuser'' of the same kind were built also in Zeil am Main,

Hallstadt Hallstadt is a town in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg on the left bank of the Main, 4 km north of Bamberg. Geography Hallstadt borders in the south on the city of Bamberg and in the west on the Main. There are two constituent co ...

and

Kronach Kronach ( East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach. Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well ...

, but it was the biggest and most famous. The prison was constructed during the Bamberg witch trials, which began in 1626, and the Drudenhaus was used through the duration of the witch trials, which lasted until the closure of the prison. The building contained 26 single cells, as well as two larger cells for groups of people. An inscription on the portal read: ''Discite justitiam moniti ET NON TEMNERE Divos'' (from

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of th ...

'': "Let it be a reminder of justice from which the gods cannot ignore"). Walls on the inside of the building were decorated with text from the Bible. People were placed in the Drudenhaus under the accusation of witchcraft and remained until their verdict.

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

was used inside the premises. In April 1631, 20 people were kept in the prison. During this time, about 300 people from the city of Bamberg and about 900 from the area were executed during the ongoing Bamberg witch trials, among them Johannes Junius, Georg Haan and

Dorothea Flock Dorothea Flock (or the Flockin) (1608 – 17 May 1630), was a German woman convicted of witchcraft in Bamberg and a victim of the Bamberg witch trials during the reign of Prince-Bishop Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim. Biography Dorothea Flock ...

. On 11 February 1632, when the Swedish army marched toward Bamberg to take the city during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, officials closed the prison and released the prisoners of the Drudenhaus on condition that they agreed to keep silent about the torture inflicted upon them during their imprisonment.Vgl. Tagebuch der Dominikanernonne Maria Anna Junius, abgedruckt in: 52. Bericht über Bestand und Wirken des Historischen Vereins Bamberg für das Jahr 1890, S. 7–223, hier: S. 14 The building itself was torn down in 1635.

References

* Britta Gehm: Die Hexenverfolgung im Hochstift Bamberg und das Eingreifen des Reichshofrates zu ihrer Beendigung. Olms, 2. überarbeitete Auflage, Hildesheim 2011. (Dissertation Universität Jena 1999). {{Coord missing, Bavaria 1627 establishments in Europe 1632 disestablishments Prisons in Germany 17th century in the Holy Roman Empire Bamberg Demolished buildings and structures in Germany Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century Bamberg witch trials