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Founded: 1675Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Sweden
Historical period: Swedish Empire (Sweden)
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The Torsåker witch trials took place in 1675 in Torsåker parish in Sweden and were the largest witch trials in Swedish history. In a single day 71 people (65 women and 6 men) were beheaded and then burned.
The mountain where the executions took place is still today called Häxberget or Bålberget (the “Witch mountain” or the “Bon fire mountain”). Mayor Erik Lund, from the city of Härnösand, was in charge of the executions and there were two executioners waiting at the mountain.The condemned witches were beheaded on the downside of the bon fire so that the blood wouldn’t stop the fire. Imagine all the death agony, the screaming, the acrid odor of blood, urine and excrements, the amount of blood on the ground from 71 persons and the offensive smell of burnt flesh.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.