Ruster Galgenriegel: A look at the dark history of the Freistadt

Ruster Galgenriegel: A look at the dark history of the Freistadt

The story of the gallows bar in Rust is a fascinating chapter of local history, which shows how deep the roots of case law are rooted in this region. Despite the fateful past associated with executions, interest in historical events remains alive. Rust's city archive is currently devoting itself to digitization and preservation of its valuable historical material, which is promoted by the committed cooperation between historians and the city administration.

Especially historians Martin Krenn from the private pedagogical university Burgenland and the Ruster local chronicler Wolfgang Bachkönig are committed to this. Mayor Gerold Stagl supports this initiative. During your research, you will repeatedly discover the treasures of the city that was believed to be lost. A central question that arises in this context is how the gallows developed in Rust and what role he played in the life of the city.

the gallows and its meaning

The city law privilege from 1681 Rust gave blood jurisdiction, which gave the city the right to judge capital crimes and even impose the death penalty. Historian Krenn says that Rust did not have her own gallows at the beginning. When imposing the first death sentence, the city representatives decided to rent a gallows in Wiener Neustadt. This is a remarkable detail about how earlier generations dealt with such tragic decisions and what logistical challenges they had to deal with.

The instruction regarding the execution of the judgment was clear: the sentence sentenced to death had to go to Wiener Neustadt for no supervision. What happened afterwards remains unclear because the reports do not offer any further information. It is a fascinating example of how the legal system operated at the time and what social norms prevailed.

Another indicator that there was actually frequent executions in Rust is the name "Goling" that is used for a certain area within the city. However, despite this evidence, the search for clear historical reports about executions in Rust has so far been unsuccessful. The archives provide a lot of information, but reports on specific executions on the gallows are rare.

However, there are documented cases of other executions from that time. Bach king reports that a young woman was executed with a machete in 1698 for child murder. Such stories throw a terrible light on the practices of their time and the strict punishments that were imposed for offenses. However, the exact circumstances of this execution on the "Goling bar" are still unclear and require further research.

Research into the gallows bar is not only of historical, but also of cultural importance. It shows how the legal system has developed over the centuries and how torture and prison system were embedded in society. The gallows are therefore not only a symbol of punishment, but also an important part of the identity of Rust.

This leads us to other interesting aspects of the region, such as the possible secret tours of Burg Güssing or the stories about the Burgfrau of Forchtenstein and the treasure of the baker from Lutzmannsburg. The discoveries around Rust's gallows bar are part of a larger history narrative that not only has local but also national dimensions.

To learn more about the exciting aspects of the Ruster history and the ongoing digitization projects, visit the reports and historical sources in the city archive or follow the work of the committed historians who are committed to the city's legacy. This processing not only gives an insight into the past, but also arouses interest in other secret stories that are hidden in urban history.