Giezelbaarg Witch Trials Memorial
Hiking Highlight
Recommended by 60 out of 61 hikers
Tips
On a modest hill between Wedde and Wessinghuizen lies the Giezelbaarg, a place with a dark history. At the end of the 16th century, at least 21 alleged witches were burned at the stake here, a tragic result of fear and suspicion. Today, a memorial stone commemorates this time and the landscape invites you to contemplate. A historical place that makes you quiet and makes you think.
translated by
•May 22, 2025
No place that makes you happy: Until 1803, sentences were carried out here, which were passed in the nearby castle in Wedde. On this sand hill, convicts were whipped, hanged or burned. At the end of the 16th century, 22 men and women were killed on charges of sorcery. You will now find a sand hill with a monument, with the names of the victims of these witch persecutions in Westerwolde. (source: Staatsbosbeheer.nl)
translated by•November 13, 2020
The story of the 21 "witches" sentenced to death touched me. When I look at the suffering of civilians in Ukraine and Palestine, not everything has changed for the better in the last 400 years.
translated by•May 28, 2025
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