On October 24, 1803, a trial began in Mainz that was unique for its time. It ended with 20 defendants on the scaffold and another 28 in prison. Among those executed was perhaps Germany's most famous robber baron, Schinderhannes. Numerous anecdotes still surround the self-proclaimed "King of the Soonwald," who once awaited his sentence in the wooden tower of Mainz. Almost exactly 200 years later, the Mainz City Archives commemorated Schinderhannes, alias Johannes Bückler, with an exhibition in Mainz City Hall.

This exhibition can now be viewed online for an indefinite period. Click on the floor plan.

An essay on Schinderhannes' plea for clemency has been published in the Mainzer Zeitschrift, volume 100, 2005, pp. 191-196 (see download).