During my tour of Schwaigern, the wine-growing town on the Heuchelberg, I discovered a tower overgrown with bushes and trees, the Witches’ Tower. This tower was once the southeastern cornerstone of the town wall, and its embrasures still bear witness to its defensive purpose. The defensive tower was built in 1461 and later served as a prison for citizens who had committed serious crimes. Hence its actual name, “Bürgerturm” (Citizens’ Tower). It got its current name, Hexenturm, because in 1773 a woman accused of witchcraft was imprisoned there. The woman was Anna Maria, who came from Biberach an der Riss, had married the Schwaigen locksmith Andreas Heinrich, and had borne him eleven children. In the town, she was rumored to be a witch. The accusation and reason for the charge was that she had infected the fourteen-year-old boy Friedrich Wilhelm, a son of the local lord Eberhard Friedrich von Neipperg, with an illness. Anna Maria Heinrich was then arrested, interrogated for hours, and confessed to being a witch under threat of torture. She was sentenced to death at the stake and burned alive on July 28, 1713. After three hours, Anna Maria Heinrich was burned to ashes. She was one of the last witches to be burned at the stake. Unfortunately, witch hunts were commonplace in the Middle Ages, and this tower in Schwaigern serves as a reminder of the cruel crimes of that time. After the tower was given to the von Neipperg family as a municipal gift for a count’s silver wedding anniversary, it was returned to the city in 1986. The historic tower was then renovated and remains a popular photo opportunity for locals and tourists alike. The tower is located next to a half-timbered house, the Reinwald House, which dates back to the 17th century. The town of Schwaigern is known for its numerous half-timbered houses, which, along with the castle and the town church, are outstanding examples of historical architecture. The Hexenturm can still be visited today as part of a guided tour of the town. From the outside, the tower and the half-timbered house form a charming ensemble, and at first glance, no one would suspect the gruesome stories that took place behind its stone walls. It is a tower steeped in history, commemorating a terrible time of witch hunts in the Middle Ages.
