I visited Semlin recently and i was suprised about the statue in the village center: a memorial against the witch hunts - a sandstone sculpture that commemorates Anna Rahns from #Semlin, who was interrogated and burned as a “butter witch” in #Rathenow in 1672. It was the last witch burning in the town. There were controversial discussions beforehand - including with the Protestant church.
The reconstructed story of Anna Rahns began before Easter 1672: Anna set off for Ferchesar to sell half a pound of butter. The buyer of the butter, the linen weaver Andreass Dielaß, sold it the next day to his friend, the day laborer Hans Schönemann. He noticed that the butter was full of dirt and hair and brought it back to his friend Andreas Dielaß. The dirty butter was then shown around in Ferchesar and the suspicion quickly arose that it was witch butter.
The matter heated up and the authorities got involved and asked the Schöppenstuhl in #Brandenburg if they can eliminate these evils and whether they would be allowed to resort to the painful procedure of torture.
No evidence was found in the archives that proves that the accused were later painful interrogated and convicted. It is highly likely that Anna Rahns was spared torture and thus a forced confession. By the time the story of the contaminated butter took place, in 1672, the peak of the #witchhunts in Havelland had already passed.
Regardless of whether she was spared or not, in my eyes the statue is still a relevant statement against ignorance and superstition and i like that there is still remembrance to this topic.
#Analogfilm #fomapan400 #blackandandwhitephotography