The Polish Town That May Have Inspired ‘Frankenstein’
In South West Poland lies Ząbkowice Śląskie. Most of you have likely never heard of the town, and yet, it is famous. Why? Linked to a gruesome 17th-century tale it is said to have been an inspiration for Mary Shelley’s famous novel ‘Frankenstein’! The town also is supposed to have inspired Andrzej Sapkowski, author of ‘The Witcher’ saga, to write ‘Tower of Fools’.
Ząbkowice Śląskie is a small Polish town located in Lower Silesia. For centuries, it bore the Germanic name of… Frankenstein. It may sound odd, especially with today’s associations, but the town was likely founded by settlers from Franconia, an area in today’s Germany. After World War II, the town, now a part of Poland, changed its name to the somewhat less amusing Ząbkowice Śląskie.
In 1993, Jerzy Organiściak, a Polish writer and regionalist from Ząbkowice Śląskie, published an article in the yearly Karkonosz which describes a potential connection between his home town and… Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. According to Organiściak, the book may have been inspired by a string of gruesome events that occurred in real life in Ząbkowice Śląskie in the distant past.
These horrific events took place during an epidemic of the plague that broke out in the town in the beginning of the year 1606. In a matter of just a few months over two thousand people fell ill and died. Eventually, the townsfolk began to look for someone to blame for all the deaths. Eight local undertakers came under suspicion of causing the epidemic. After being tortured during an investigation they admitted to applying an infectious powder, manufactured from human corpses, to doorknobs and thresholds in order to spread the disease. Apparently, the undertakers were profiting from the resulting casualties by robbing the homes and corpses of the deceased. As if that wasn’t enough, according to an article at the time about the case in the Augsburg newspaper Newe Zeyttung, the accused undertakers confessed to further heinous actions:
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They cut apart [deceased – ed.] pregnant women and removed foetuses from inside them, and ate the raw hearts of the babies. […] A certain new undertaker hailing from Strzegom desecrated the body of a young virgin in a church.
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From ‘Straszna Historia z Dolnego Śląska. Co Ma Wspólnego z Frankensteinem?’, Onet.pl, trans, MK
Naturally, the horrific confessions of the undertakers don’t seem credible today as they were given under torture. However, in the 17th century they were enough to sentence the accused to death. In October 1606, the undertakers were publically executed in a particularly brutal manner – they were mutilated and burned alive. Shortly afterwards a clergyman by the name of Samuel Heinnitz delivered a series of six sermons in Ząbkowice Śląskie, praising the capture of the purported plague spreaders. They were published in Leipzig in 1609 under the lengthy title The True Story of a Few Detected and Destroyed Works of a Devilish Hunter During the Plague of 1606 in the City of Frankenstein in Silesia. In this book the titular devilish hunter appears as an allegory of the vile wrongdoings (supposedly) committed by the undertakers.
In order to be fair to the ill-fated undertakers, one should mention that the plague kept affecting Ząbkowice Śląskie for months after their death…
A pale student of unhallowed arts
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A portrait of Mary Shelley, photo: Cardy / Getty Images
Jerzy Organiściak says that this ‘devilish hunter’ may have inspired Mary Shelley to create her famous Frankenstein’s monster. Both characters are linked to human corpses in a macabre manner – in Shelley’s celebrated novel the monster is artificially created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein by piecing together human cadavers.
Shelley could’ve learned about the disturbing story from the Polish town through her friend John Polidori. The physician and writer was apparently interested in poisons and torture (what a lovely hobby!) and may have known of the case of the undertakers from Ząbkowice Śląskie and shared it with Shelley. They spent time together in Switzerland in the summer of 1816, two years before the publication of Frankenstein. What seems to back this version of events is the name… Frankenstein.
However, there’s no clear evidence for Organiaściak’s intriguing theory. Moreover, if one were to use lexical similarities to trace Shelley’s inspirations one could easily point to the ruins of Frankenstein Castle in today’s Germany as well. In the 17th century the controversial alchemist Konrad Dippel, who experimented on dead animals, was born at this castle. He’s said to be a possible inspiration for the character of Dr Frankenstein. Shelley may have heard about Dippel in 1814 when she was in the vicinity of Frankenstein Castle during her journey on the river Rhine.
In all of this let’s not forget that Mary Shelley herself wrote about how she came up with the idea for Frankenstein. And well… her account doesn’t mention Ząbkowice Śląskie or Frankenstein Castle. She said it came to her as if in a dream:
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When I placed my head on my pillow, I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie. I saw – with shut eyes, but acute mental vision – I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion.
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From Mary Shelley’s Author’s Introduction to the 1831 edition of ‘Frankenstein’
The leaning tower of Ząbkowice Śląskie
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The leaning tower in Ząbkowice Śląskie, photo: Joanna Borowska / Forum
Regardless of whether Ząbkowice Śląskie’s connection to Mary Shelley’s Frankestein is real, it has become the town’s claim to fame. In 1996 the town began organising an annual Frankenstein's monster-themed event, attracting lots of tourists and media attention. For many years this event was called ‘Weekend z Frankensteinem’ (A Weekend with Frankenstein). Organised annually in August, the event featured concerts and monster costume parades. In 2019, it was moved to May and rebranded as ‘Naukowa Noc z Frankensteinem’ (A Scientific Night with Frankenstein). The new version of the event offered a slightly different programme, as it included scientific shows, lectures and film screenings.
In 2001, a unique attraction opened in Ząbkowice Śląskie: Dr Frankestein’s laboratory. The creepy lab is located in the basement of the town’s oldest residential building, a house dating back to the 16th century that once belonged to a knight by the name of Kauffung. In the stylised laboratory at 1 Krzywa Street (Crooked Street, how fitting), visitors see shelves full of jars with frog and mouse intestines, alchemy vessels, mysterious tools as well as (luckily) fake human body parts.
Interestingly, the historical residential building it’s located in close by to another curious architectural monument, the towns famous leaning tower. This unusual structure, at 7 Św. Wojciecha Street, is definitely equally as intriguing as the town’s potential Frankenstein connection.
The tower in question was built centuries ago (it’s unclear exactly when) and is 34 metres tall. The building’s slant – over 2 metres from centre – is clearly visible, making it a real sight to behold. It’s unquestionably a major town landmark. What may come as a surprise it that the original purpose of this building remains a mystery:
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According to one theory, it’s a remnant of an old castle that stood here before the founding of the city. Another concept claims that the tower, standing at the lowest point of the Old Town, served as a city gate. A third idea poses that the tower was built as a city belfry. It served that purpose from the 15th century until World War II.
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From zckit.pl, trans. MK
Today the tower is open to visitors and one can enjoy a splendid view from its top. The reason behind the building’s slant, like its age and purpose, is unknown. Some say that the inclination may have been caused by an earthquake that affected Ząbkowice Śląskie in the year 1590. Others believe that at some point the ground beneath the tower became damp which caused its foundations to shift. Yet another explanation is provided by a nifty urban legend.
According to this tale the tower used to feature the following inscription made by one of its builders, which stated that the structure was… built slanted on purpose:
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My name is Johannes Gleiß, I built this leaning tower conscientiously.
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From bartekwpodrozy.pl, trans. MK
This inscription allegedly disappeared during a renovation of the tower that took place after a fire damaged the building in the year 1858.
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Ruins of the castle in Ząbkowice Śląskie, photo: Gerard / Reporter / East News
Aside from Kauffung’s house and the leaning tower, the town offers a number of other interesting architectural monuments. Among them are the ruins of a sizeable castle located near Krzywa Street:
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The renaissance building was erected in the year 1522-1532 on the spot of a Gothic castle that was destroyed in the mid-15th century. […] Its ownership changed often and it was also affected by numerous wars. […] Its defensive purpose is evidenced by the still visible fortified towers, embrasures and attics protecting the guard posts.
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From zckit.pl, trans. MK
The 17th century Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross is a Baroque prayer house at 8 Grunwaldzka Street. Its story is linked to the church that had earlier stood in its place. The older church was burned down by the Hussites during the religious Hussite Wars of the 1400s and three of its clergymen were killed in the event. Today, their remains can be found at the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross.
Ząbkowice Śląskie’s market square also features a beautiful old city hall. This neo-Gothic building was built in 1864 according to a design by the architect Alexis Langer and features an impressive 72 metre tower (a straight one, by the way). Nowadays this remarkable building houses a wedding ceremony room and a public library.
Inspirational sightseeing
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Andrzej Sapkowski, photo: Piotr Kamionka / East News
Apparently, the town’s interesting historical landscape (also) inspired Poland’s Andrzej Sapkowski, the celebrated author of The Witcher saga, to write his 2002 historical fantasy novel Narrenturm (Tower of Fools). This book – not connected to the rest of the Witcher universe – was the first instalment of his Hussite Trilogy set during the Hussite Wars in what would be southern Poland and Czechia today.
In a 2015 interview for the website Turystyka Kulturowa (Cultural Tourim) Jerzy Organiściak explained the connection between Tower of Fools and Ząbkowice Śląskie. He said that in 1999 and 2000 Sapkowski visited the town during the ‘A Weekend with Frankenstein’ events. The regionalist even took Sapkowski on a tour of Ząbkowice Śląskie, showing him the leaning tower and Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. The town made an impression.
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This sightseeing prompted Mr Sapkowski to ask me for (mainly German) literature about Ząbkowice Śląskie, old maps, a register of local knights and similar materials. During our next meeting he told me that he’s working on a novel about the Hussite Wars in Silesia. Until the book was published I had no idea its title would be Narrenturm and that’s how the leaning tower […] in Ząbkowice Śląskie used to be called! In 2006 Andrzej Sapkowski came to Ząbkowice Śląskie once more and told me himself, how it all began…
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From turystykakulturowa.eu, trans. MK
So, if you’re ever in south-western Poland you should definitely consider visiting this inspiring town of Ząbkowice Śląskie!
Written by Marek Kępa, Apr 22
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