The Pillory of Medieval Lucerne
In the Middle Ages, every city had a pillory. It was used to punish minor crimes. The offender was chained to the pillory for a certain time so that the people could mock him, spit on him, and throw dirt at him. Being “put in the pillory” was a punishment of shame. Beatings, branding, and mutilations were also carried out at the pillory. For people sentenced to death, the pillory was only one stop on the painful way to execution.
In Lucerne, a pillar pillory stood in the lower part of the old fish market. The iron neck rings that belonged to it are shown in the Historical Museum. The pillory itself no longer exists, but it can be seen in the Martini Plan of 1597.
In the 13th century, the Habsburgs allowed the authorities of Lucerne to hold their own court. The legal basis for this was the “Geschworener Brief” (Sworn Letter) of 1251, which was expanded over time.
At first, judgments were made outdoors under the linden tree, where the pillory also stood. Later, the court moved into the neighboring house, which is today the Hotel des Balances. Court and council were the same, because the council also acted as the court.
Even later, sentences were announced here on the open square, while the offender was placed in the pillory. The restaurant “Rotes Gatter” refers to the “blood-red” barrier of high justice. The restaurant “Zur Linde” also stands on the square, and in front of it a linden tree was planted again in 1978.
Further information:
The nearest remaining pillory is located at the town hall of Sursee (image, Wikimedia).
Iron neck ring of the pillory in Lucerne – Historical Museum of Lucerne.
Mount Pilatus strongly stimulated the imagination of the people in Switzerland early on. This was because it seemingly rose gently from the flatlands, but then suddenly jutted steeply upwards in massive rock formations. The ancients called it "Fractus mons" (broken mountain) or Frakmont . They considered it nothing more than a split and broken-up mighty hill. Since the people of antiquity could not explain the elemental forces that once split the mountain, they saw in them the work of evil powers. Because fire, water, storms, and lightning had always terrified the residents, they believed that these forces were causing mischief on the mountain. In the ignorance of the Middle Ages, one thing was clear: spirits lived there. In the stories, one heard of dragons, ghosts, spirits, hobgoblins (Herdmännlein), and mischievous dwarves (Toggelis); even the Türst and the Sträggele caused trouble there.
The Alte Suidtersche Apotheke (Old Suidtersche Pharmacy) was founded in 1833, and parts of the interior haven't changed since then. Customers from near and far are served in an antique setting. The pharmacy also offers its own house specialties, such as the well-known "Mother and Child" skin balm. The real highlight, however, is the medieval display window. During the day, you can hardly see anything because there are no lights on inside. But at night, a medieval pharmacy is revealed. You can see shelves filled with jars and containers featuring labels and symbols, bones, jawbones with teeth, an old medical book, and an eagle owl. Hanging from the ceiling are dried remedies, wood, roots, a pufferfish, and the "Pilatus Dragon."
Around the 18th century, a new idea appeared: minor offenders were made to work for the public. This punishment was called “Schellenwerk.” The word “Schelle” means clamp . People sentenced to the Schellenwerk were put in chains, and the chains had metal clamps that made noise. They also had to wear a heavy iron neck ring with a large clip, called the “beak.” This made them easy to see and hear. During the day, the Schellenwerker had to do hard physical work, such as construction work or repairing the dam. In winter, this often meant standing in cold river water. At night, they were locked into the Weggistor , a gate at the end of today’s Hertensteinstrasse. Historical reports say that the Schellenwerk was also used to force lazy or work-shy young adults to work.
At the end of the 18th century, the French invasion brought French law to Switzerland. Criminal law in Lucerne was reformed. The pillory, branding, and whipping were abolished. For executions, the guillotine was introduced. The guillotine was unpopular in Switzerland. It was seen as cold and foreign. The sword was considered noble and honorable, and for a time executions returned to the sword. Eventually, the guillotine became the standard method. Executions were no longer public and took place in the prison yard on Baselstrasse. At first, Lucerne did not own a guillotine and had to borrow one. Later, the city bought a guillotine and lent it to other parts of Switzerland. The last five executions in Switzerland were carried out with this guillotine. Today it is displayed in the Historical Museum of Lucerne. The last civilian execution in Lucerne took place in 1910. Anselm Wütschert was executed by guillotine. The last civilian execution in Switzerland took place in 1940, when Hans Vollenweider was executed in Sarnen with the Lucerne guillotine. After that, the guillotine was no longer used.
Mount Pilatus strongly stimulated the imagination of the people in Switzerland early on. This was because it seemingly rose gently from the flatlands, but then suddenly jutted steeply upwards in massive rock formations. The ancients called it "Fractus mons" (broken mountain) or Frakmont . They considered it nothing more than a split and broken-up mighty hill. Since the people of antiquity could not explain the elemental forces that once split the mountain, they saw in them the work of evil powers. Because fire, water, storms, and lightning had always terrified the residents, they believed that these forces were causing mischief on the mountain. In the ignorance of the Middle Ages, one thing was clear: spirits lived there. In the stories, one heard of dragons, ghosts, spirits, hobgoblins (Herdmännlein), and mischievous dwarves (Toggelis); even the Türst and the Sträggele caused trouble there.
The Alte Suidtersche Apotheke (Old Suidtersche Pharmacy) was founded in 1833, and parts of the interior haven't changed since then. Customers from near and far are served in an antique setting. The pharmacy also offers its own house specialties, such as the well-known "Mother and Child" skin balm. The real highlight, however, is the medieval display window. During the day, you can hardly see anything because there are no lights on inside. But at night, a medieval pharmacy is revealed. You can see shelves filled with jars and containers featuring labels and symbols, bones, jawbones with teeth, an old medical book, and an eagle owl. Hanging from the ceiling are dried remedies, wood, roots, a pufferfish, and the "Pilatus Dragon."
Around the 18th century, a new idea appeared: minor offenders were made to work for the public. This punishment was called “Schellenwerk.” The word “Schelle” means clamp . People sentenced to the Schellenwerk were put in chains, and the chains had metal clamps that made noise. They also had to wear a heavy iron neck ring with a large clip, called the “beak.” This made them easy to see and hear. During the day, the Schellenwerker had to do hard physical work, such as construction work or repairing the dam. In winter, this often meant standing in cold river water. At night, they were locked into the Weggistor , a gate at the end of today’s Hertensteinstrasse. Historical reports say that the Schellenwerk was also used to force lazy or work-shy young adults to work.
At the end of the 18th century, the French invasion brought French law to Switzerland. Criminal law in Lucerne was reformed. The pillory, branding, and whipping were abolished. For executions, the guillotine was introduced. The guillotine was unpopular in Switzerland. It was seen as cold and foreign. The sword was considered noble and honorable, and for a time executions returned to the sword. Eventually, the guillotine became the standard method. Executions were no longer public and took place in the prison yard on Baselstrasse. At first, Lucerne did not own a guillotine and had to borrow one. Later, the city bought a guillotine and lent it to other parts of Switzerland. The last five executions in Switzerland were carried out with this guillotine. Today it is displayed in the Historical Museum of Lucerne. The last civilian execution in Lucerne took place in 1910. Anselm Wütschert was executed by guillotine. The last civilian execution in Switzerland took place in 1940, when Hans Vollenweider was executed in Sarnen with the Lucerne guillotine. After that, the guillotine was no longer used.