Not too long ago we visited Idstein, a quiet, almost forgotten town in Hesse, Germany. We went there because of the half-timbered houses we had heard so much about and because of the infamous “Witches’ Tower,” located next to the castle of Idstein, even though it is claimed only to be in name related to the devastating 17th-century witch trials that took place in the town.
Indeed, what’s most interesting about Idstein to me and the main reason I wanted to visit the “Witches’ Tower” was because of the fact Idstein is the Salem of Germany. But that’s not an entirely fair relation, and I’ll tell you why.
You’ve probably heard about the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts that took place from 1692 to 1693 which resulted in the horrifically unjust deaths of 25 people, not including those who died in confinement.
Well, the unfortunate reality is that Salem was not the only place, and definitely not the first and not the worst, to conduct witch trials. In fact, more people were killed elsewhere at other witch trials around the world. Salem is not even the most well-known–the most well-known might actually surprise you–an eventual saint was burned to death.
More “Witches” were executed in Idstein than were killed in all of the Salem Witch Trials and happened 20 years prior to Salem.
The witch trials took place in Idstein from 1675 to 1677. 31 women and 8 men were executed for witchcraft.
The “Witches’ Tower” is the oldest remaining landmark of the town. It dates back to 1170. However, the “Witches’ Tower” got its current name after the witch trials.
The memorial for the people convicted of witchcraft and executed is just below the tower on the adjacent outer wall. You can’t miss it. If you look behind me in the first picture, you can partially see it just over my left shoulder. It’s a cold reality that the town has never lived down. I’ll post it in full below.
When we arrived in the old town of Idstein it was like traveling back in time.
The medieval buildings have been incredibly well maintained, and what’s especially unique in Germany, with its hundreds of hilltop castles, is that Idstein’s castle is in the center of the old town.
From where we were you have to walk through the tunnel in the picture above to get to the “Witches’ Tower,” and that’s exactly what we did. The sun was out and shining brightly but the wind flowing through the old town was bitterly cold that day. I’ll never forget it because I forgot my gloves and it was so cold that my hands felt like they were burning. I know that’s a terrible analogy for this particular trip but that’s exactly what my hands felt like.
Worse than the cold was that as beautiful as the old town of Idstein is, and it IS incredibly beautiful, it is not quite the enchanting place as you might expect. In fact, the cobblestone Altstadt has a rather eerie feel to it. You might expect the town to be bursting with tourists, but that wasn’t the case. The streets were nearly empty of pedestrians.
Eerie might be the wrong word, and possibly not a fair interpretation, perhaps an air of guilt is what it felt like. The town seemed sad for lack of a better description.
Even at the castle and the tower, no living person, other than myself and my wife, was anywhere nearby—we seemingly had the castle, the gardens, and the tower all to ourselves. I’ve never experienced that so intensely in any town before and after reading other travel articles about the town, I’ve discovered I’m not the only one to remark on this odd, lonely, reality.
Witch trials happened all over the world from the 15th-century to the 18th-century and it’s estimated that up to 100,000 people were executed.
In centuries past, people lived in fear for many reasons, and often what was unexplainable, or not yet understood, was considered witchcraft, heresy, or just plain considered the influence of Satan.
Some have used the accusation of witchcraft and heresy to merely rid themselves of opponents or enemies, the most famous of which you may have heard of, Joan of Arc, killed by fire, found guilty of heresy and witchcraft and allegedly transforming into a member of Satan. The fallacy of such trials was already made clear in 1450 when Joan of Arc’s guilty verdict was overturned, and eventually, she would become the patron saint of France.
It’s said that Joan of Arc’s trial and execution became the model for future witch trials. I guess the fact her verdict was overturned was overlooked, or, well, maybe it wasn’t.
As you can see, the tower is a lonely place. That sad reality shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
Although the tower is not claimed to have had any connection to the witch trials, its name is already a contradiction, and some locals we talked to say otherwise, and that the tower is simply being protected from such recognition and did serve as a temporary prison for some of the accused. Well, I don’t know what’s true, but the name doesn’t help it.
As I walked the old worn stone steps up to the tower I got a strange sense of warmth as I got closer and closer. I should have been getting colder since I was climbing up into the bitter wind.
If you look at the picture taken by my wife of me nearing the tower (below), it appears as though something golden was in front of me. In fact, it seems like the camera focused on whatever it was instead of me. My wife and I didn’t notice it until some time later when at home she was viewing the pictures on the computer. My wife let out a sudden gasp when she saw it. She told me to come to the PC to look at it. I did, and then I too gasped!
Holy Heaven!
My wife told me the first thought she had when she saw it was of an angel either leaving or entering the tower. I can see why she thinks so. It really does look like golden wings of light. Maybe the tower has more to do with the witch trials than what has been disclosed.
Of course, I don’t know what the anomaly is, it could just be a lens flare or some kind of reflection, even though the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Or my wife could be right and it’s an angel looking after the innocent souls of those killed. I hope so. It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?
I recommend visiting Idstein to anyone interested in walking into history and learning about what took place there over 300 years ago. The old town, or Altstadt as it’s called in German, is quite small and only takes about an hour or less to walk. The half-timber houses are in pristine condition but it’s the “Witches’ Tower” I recommend the most.
You might only spend a couple of hours in Idstein, but I reckon it will be some of the most memorable hours you spend anywhere, and perhaps even the spookiest in broad daylight.
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