Nightwatchman Ralf's blog on Lucerne's history, myths, and legends. Discover the secrets of the medieval city.
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17Dec25
Türst is a pagan spirit from the Lucerne region. Originally, he was none other than Odin, also known as Wotan, the chief god of Norse mythology.
When Christianity spread, the old gods did not completely disappear from people's minds. Instead, the new religious leaders transformed them into ghosts and spirits, whose power was said to be strongest when people strayed from a godly life.
Türst, also called Thürst or Vuotis, is described as a demonic hunter who frightens both people and animals. A meeting with him can cause madness or even death. He is followed by a wild pack of three-legged dogs or pigs. Anyone who gets in his way or does not move aside quickly enough is turned into one of these creatures and is doomed to follow him forever.
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| The Wild Hunt |
Türst is often said to hunt in forests and riverbeds, especially in places like Entlebuch, Wiggertal, Schiltwald, Hundsrücken, Würzenbachtobel (Lucerne), Horw, and Hergiswil. In almost every part of the canton, there are paths associated with him. Some places even bear his name, such as Türstegg in Escholzmatt and Türstbach in Hergiswil.
Sometimes, Türst is accompanied by a witch-like figure called the Sträggele. He is also described as riding an eight-legged horse, just like Odin.
Related Posts:
Barbara Schatzmann, a midwife from St. Gallen, was suspected of being a witch in 1570 in Lucerne. She was arrested and confessed in Willisau that she had killed a boy by blowing on him. She also admitted in prison that her lover, the "Federmisch" (a name for the Devil), had taught her how to kill newborns by stabbing them in the head with a needle. According to different sources, she claimed to have done this to either 11 or 27 babies.
Even in prison, Barbara Schatzmann was tormented by the Devil, so guards had to watch her day and night. When they least expected it, the Devil struck. He came in the form of a black bird, grabbed her, tore off her skin, and carried her body and soul through the air. All that remained was her skin, blown up like a balloon.
At least, that is how the story is recorded in the Wickiana, a 16th-century collection of news reports. However, historical records from the Lucerne State Archive confirm that Barbara Schatzmann actually died in prison.
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| Wickiana (Zentralbibliothek Zürich, F 19, fol. 121v) |
The picture from the Wickiana (Zentralbibliothek Zürich, F 19, fol. 121v) shows the inside of the prison. On the left, we see her empty, blown-up skin with marks from the Devil’s attack, while two shocked guards look on.
In the top left corner, there is a winch, a tool used for stretching torture. Below it, we see heavy stones that were tied to prisoners' feet.
Through the tower window, the Devil can be seen flying away with his victim. Onlookers in the street point at him in shock.
Sources (All in German)
The Elevation of the City of Lucerne, better known as the Schumacher Plan, dates back to 1790 and was drawn by Franz Xaver Schumacher (1755–1808). In 1792, Jakob Joseph Clausner engraved the work in copper.
While the Martini Plan impresses with its beauty and vibrancy, the Schumacher Plan stands out for its remarkable accuracy. It depicts the city of Lucerne with exceptional detail. For instance, the execution site at Senti and the executioner’s residence are drawn to scale—details that are barely visible in the Martini Plan.
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| Schumacher Plan Luzern 1790, Franz Xaver Schumacher (1755-1808) |
Franz Xaver Schumacher came from a patrician family in Lucerne and studied in Bologna and Modena during his youth. Later, he served the French crown, held positions as a councilor, officer, bailiff, and was a passionate scientist.
A Masterpiece of Cartography
In the lower left corner of the plan, the following explanation is provided:
“This drawing of all the buildings in the city of Lucerne is depicted à vue d’oiseau, or from above, recorded geometrically from a fixed point, extracted from the plan, and rendered with the utmost accuracy in terms of both the height of the buildings and the width of the streets. Consequently, the plan had to be expanded, which is why the ground plan itself is included for better reference.”
The Schumacher Plan is therefore drawn in a bird’s-eye perspective (three-dimensional), which slightly expands the city view. In the upper left corner, a small supplementary plan presents an exact geometric top-down (two-dimensional) view for comparison.
The Significance of the Plan in its Time
The legend of the Schumacher Plan lists numerous significant buildings, towers, streets, and squares of Lucerne, including the town hall, the Musegg towers, churches, bridges, and guild houses. Its detailed representation provides a deep insight into the city’s structure in the late 18th century.
Notably, the explanation contains strong French influences—a reflection of the aristocratic elite’s admiration for French culture and Enlightenment ideas at the time. However, this period also saw dramatic upheavals: the French Revolution (1789–1799), the storming of the Tuileries Palace (1792), and the end of military cooperation between France and Switzerland. Soon after, the French Invasion of 1798 marked the beginning of the Helvetic Republic, bringing profound political changes.
The Schumacher Plan remains a unique historical document—a cartographic masterpiece that captures Lucerne with unprecedented precision.
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| Zur Gilgen House and Tower, one of the most impressive buildings of Old Lucerne. |
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| Detail from the Martini plan (1597), Zur Gilgen House with Tower . |
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| The Zur Gilgen Haus, Xaxer Schwegler (1832-1902) |
In Folio 310v of the Diebold Schilling Chronicle, we see an illustration of the arrival of the French treasurer in Lucerne in 1509.
Today, the original Rössli Inn no longer exists. Instead, the Coop City building stands in its place. However, the old water rights still apply:
The Coop supermarket has leased the entire building. Today:
These measures preserve the historical water right, ensuring the tradition continues.
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| Mühleplatz Lucerne with Coop city, former "Rössli Inn" |
P.S. In the basement of the building, there is one of three supermarkets in the historical center.
And on the top floor, there is quite a good budget self-service restaurant. (Weekdays 09:00-19:00, Saturdays 09:00-17:00, Sunday closed).
In the Diebold Schilling chronicle on folio 174v he depicts an event that took place on April 29, 1495, at the Sentimatt execution site.
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| Diebold Schilling, Luzerner Chronik, 1513, Folio 174 |
The Scene
At the center of the image, dressed in red, stands the judge, holding the executioner’s sword. He is the most important figure in the scene, symbolizing the authority of the judiciary. With a commanding hand gesture, he orders the executioner to stop.
The executioner, visibly confused, obediently sets down the iron-bound breaking wheel. He had just been about to begin the brutal process of "breaking on the wheel", starting with the convicted man’s right lower leg.
What Happened?
At that moment, Diebold Schilling arrives, pointing at the condemned man and declaring his innocence. Dressed in priestly robes, Schilling appears as a subordinate figure in the painting, humbly pleading for the life of the wrongly convicted man. This is fitting, as he was not only a chronicler but also a priest at St. Peter’s Chapel.
The convicted man, Jakob Kessler, was a vagrant from Breisgau, accused of committing murder in Lenzkirch, near the Titisee in the Black Forest. Under severe torture, he had confessed to the crime. However, he later gave his confessor a more credible account, insisting that he was innocent. Two city guards overheard this and informed Diebold Schilling, who courageously intervened.
Messengers were immediately dispatched to Lenzkirch to verify the accusation. But upon arrival, they discovered that no such murder had ever taken place. As a result, Jakob Kessler was freed. He later set out on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela—perhaps out of gratitude for his rescue or possibly as a penance pilgrimage, which was a common practice for released prisoners.
Other Executions
On the far right of the image, another man is being burned at the stake—also an outsider. His name was Martin Senn, a man from Savoy, accused of murdering a virgin and committing sodomy with a cow.
In the upper left corner, a triangular gallows structure is visible, with two hanged corpses—likely left there for weeks as a warning to others. It was common practice to let the bodies rot until they fell apart naturally.
In the background, we can see the Reuss River and, beyond the smoke, part of the Musegg Wall.
A Risky Act of Defiance
Though Diebold Schilling depicts himself in the image as humble and subordinate, he is, without question, the true hero of the story.
How daring must it have been to challenge a court ruling during a public execution, in front of a large crowd of spectators? The ruling elite considered themselves divinely appointed and infallible—to question their verdict was unthinkable.
What risk did Schilling take?
It is difficult to say, but his courage is undeniable. He must have enjoyed considerable respect and influence to get away with such defiance. Others who spoke against authority could face brutal punishments—having their right hand cut off and being strangled at a stake.
A Lesson in Justice
Through his chronicle, Diebold Schilling exposed the injustices of his time. Today, we know that justice was far from impartial:
40% of those executed were from the Lucerne countryside (the subject territories).
46.5% were other foreigners. (From the area outside of today's Canton of Lucerne).
Only 2% were citizens of Lucerne.
At the beginning of the 17th century, a ghost haunted Furrengasse in Lucerne. A tall, gaunt man with a large, crooked nose would climb the stairs to the town hall square and walk through Furrengasse. Suddenly, he would transform into a towering ghost, as tall as a house, dragging a long tail behind him. The ghost never harmed anyone and disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.
At the same time, demons of the night—so-called Toggelis—would slip through open windows into the chambers of sleeping people. A Toggeli would sit on the chest of a sleeper, pressing down so heavily that they struggled to breathe.
But a Toggeli could also creep into a woman's dreams, exploring the depths of her mind. It would then deceive the helpless sleeper, making her believe it was the man of her dreams. The dreaming woman would imagine herself in the arms of her beloved, spending a passionate night together. By morning, the Toggeli would vanish, leaving the woman unsure whether she had merely dreamed or if it had truly happened.
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| The Nightmare- Johann Heinrich Füssli (aka Henry Fuseli, 1741 Zurich – 1825 London) |
The maids whispered this story in hushed voices, but no one dared to write it down.
Night Watchman Ralf says: The Toggeli corresponds to the Latin "Incubus." Various sources confirm that this is a common translation.
Related Tours: Nightwatchman Ralf Walk (Public or Private)
