Anna Göldi
Anna Göldi | |
---|---|
Born | 24 October 1734 |
Died | 13 June 1782 Glarus, Switzerland | (aged 47)
Cause of death | Decapitation |
Nationality | Swiss |
Occupation | Housemaid |
Anna Göldi (also Göldin or Goeldin, 24 October 1734 – 13 June 1782)
Biography
Born in
Göldi began working as a maid for the Tschudi family in 1780.
During her
The sentence was described at the time by historian August Ludwig von Schlözer as a judicial murder ("the murder of an innocent, deliberately, and with all the pomp of holy Justice".[6])
Legacy
In 1982, Eveline Hasler published a novel about Anna Göldi, since translated into English as Anna Goeldin – The Last Witch. A Novel. In 1991, Gertrud Pinkus released a film based on Hasler's book.[7]
Exoneration
On 20 September 2007, the Swiss parliament decided to acknowledge Anna Göldi's case as a miscarriage of justice. Fritz Schiesser, as the representative for Glarus in the Swiss parliament, called for Anna Göldi's exoneration, which was granted 226 years after her death, on 27 August 2008 on the grounds that she had been subjected to an "illegal trial".[5] Apparently, Göldi's married employer abused his power after she had threatened to reveal their affair.[5][8]
Memorial
The Swiss town of Glarus unveiled a memorial for Göldi in 2014. The memorial, consisting of two permanently lit lamps on the side of the Glarus court house, is intended to draw attention to violations of human rights that occur in the world today, as well as Göldi's story.
A plaque on the building's facade explains the lamps' significance. "The memorial is an expression of atonement for the injustice that took place here. It will be an eternal light for Anna Göldi."[9]
On August 20, 2017, the Anna Göldi Museum was opened in the Hänggiturm building.[8][4]
In popular culture
The life of Göldi has been the subject of a musical, with Göldi performed by Masha Karell.[4][10] Her life was also captured by the doom metal band 1782, in their single "She Was a Witch".[11]
See also
Bibliography
- Hasler, E. (2013) Anna Goeldin -- The Last Witch. A Novel Trans. Mary Bryant. Ed. Waltraud Maierhofer. Lighthouse Christian Publishing. ISBN 1482659492
References
- ^ a b c Anna Göldi in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ The Anna Göldi Foundation notes that while the date of her sentencing and death is commonly cited as June 18, the recorded date of her sentencing by the protocol of the Evangelical Council is June 6, and her execution is given as June 13. "Anna Göldi". Anna Göldi Stiftung. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ ""Last witch in Europe" cleared". swissinfo.ch. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Swissinfo.
- ^ a b c "Last witch in Europe cleared". August 27, 2008.
- ^ Ermordung eines Unschuldigen, vorsätzlich, und so gar mit allem Pompe der heil. Justiz, (von Schlözer, p. 273)
- ^ "Analyse: Anna Göldin, Die letzte Hexe". regionalgeschichte.net. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Anna Goeldi's story and exoneration". Online edition of the BBC News. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
- ^ "Anna Göldi's memorial". Online edition of the SwissInfo. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
- ^ "Darsteller" (in German). 2017. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
Masha Karell als Anna Göldi
- ^ "From the Graveyard, by 1782".