Maria Pauer

Maria Pauer (October 1734/36 – 1750 in Salzburg), was an alleged Austrian witch. She was the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Austria.

Maria Pauer was a maid in the St. Catherine suburb in Mühldorf. In January 1749, she had run an errand for her employer to another house, and afterwards, the house was tormented by poltergeist phenomena. This led to her arrest. The conditions in prison made her apathetic and weak. She was interrogated with 527 questions in two months. Anna Maria Zötlin and Liesel Gusterer were also arrested and executed in 1749. Torture was used, and in September 1750, she confessed her guilt. She was sentenced to death and decapitated and burned on October 6, 1750.

References

• [1], Statement of regret of archbishop Dr. Alois Kothgasser, Salzburg, regarding the judicial murder of Maria Pauer, June 18, 2009 (in German)
• Neumeyer, August Friedrich: Der Mühldorfer Hexenprozess 1749/50, Mühldorf 1992
• Byloff, Fritz: Die letzten Zaubereiprozesse in Mühldorf und Landshut. In: Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte (ZBLG), Jg. 1938, S. 427–444
• Nagl, Heinz: Der Zauberer-Jackl-Prozess. Hexenprozesse im Erzstift Salzburg 1675–1690. In: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde, Teil I, Jg. 1972/73, S. 385–541