Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Stock up on picnic supplies with a side of history.
Horton Bay General Store
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
Though they’re protected inside the park, wolves can be killed when they cross its borders.
Wolves Have a Bad Reputation. One Yellowstone Naturalist Is Trying to Fix It.
The community board at Rex’s Dino Store advertises all kinds of NYC-specific dino services.
We Visited the Dino Bodega in (Jurassic) Park Slope

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Ansbach Kaspar Hauser Monument

Kaspar Hauser Monument

The "feral child" who appeared in Bavaria in the 19th century remains as much a mystery as his unsolved murder.

Ansbach, Germany

Added By
Allison Meier
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Kaspar-Hauser-Denkmal (Kaspar Hauser Monument)   Michael Zaschka/Wikimedia
Kaspar Hauser as he arrived in Nuremberg, illustrated by Johann Georg Laminit   Wikimedia
Kaspar Hauser as a young gentleman, illustrated by Johann Friedrich Carl Kreul   Wikimedia
Kaspar younger   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Kaspar Hauser Museum   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Kaspar older   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Kaspar younger   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Kaspar Hauser Museum   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Kaspar older   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The mysterious Kaspar Hauser turned up on the streets of Nuremberg in 1828, unintelligible, wearing odd clothes, and walking with a peculiar gait. His feet were soft as if never walked upon and he could barely see in the sun. In his hand he held a letter addressed to the captain of the local cavalry squadron, stating that the teenage boy should either be taken in or hanged. The five years following Kaspar’s arrival uncovered a fantastic story of this “feral child’s” life in isolation, one that ended with his unsolved murder.

Kaspar’s controversial and much debated story was revealed a few months after being found. He claimed to have been in captivity for his whole life in a small basement cell, completely without human contact, with only a toy wooden horse for company. He was around 16 when he appeared in Bavaria, and would only say “horse,” “I want to be a horseman like my father was,” and “don’t know.” The letter clutched in his hand claimed to be from the caretaker who had confined him. Another letter was found on Kaspar from his mother addressed to the stranger who took him in, saying that his father, who was in the cavalry, was dead, and that she was a poor woman who could not keep him. Later analysis suggested that these two letters were written by the same person.

When taken to the police station from the cavalry headquarters, the youth wrote his name: Kaspar Hauser. He was brought to the Vestner Gate Tower and immediately became a person of curiosity, drawing many visitors. At first he had trouble with basic skills, like walking and using his hands, and only ate bread and water. Yet he progressed rapidly and was soon reading, writing, and speaking, and was then able to tell the story of his isolated childhood.

In his short time in the public eye, he was one of the most famous people in Europe. Some believed he was an impostor who had been kicked out of a peasant home. Others speculated he was the Prince of Baden, stolen as an infant and replaced with a dying baby.

The possibility of scandalous royal blood was reinforced by an apparent assassination attempt, where Kaspar was found with a knife gash in his head at the bottom of a staircase. He claimed he had been attacked by the same man who had left him in Nuremberg.

Five years after he appeared, he was fatally stabbed in the palace gardens in Ansbach. It is still unclear whether the wound was self-inflicted or if in fact that he was murdered. On his tombstone was carved: “Here lies Kaspar Hauser, the riddle of his time. His birth was unknown, his death mysterious.” In the spot where he was stabbed in the Court Garden, a monument reads in Latin: “Here a mysterious man was killed in a mysterious way."

Traces of Kaspar Hauser remain all over Ansbach, including at the Markgrafenmuseum in Kaspar-Hauser-Platz (a square named for Kaspar), where the bloodstained clothes he was found in, the two letters, and some of his personal belongings are exhibited.

In 1981, Kaspar-Hauser-Denkmal (Kaspar Hauser Monument) was erected, with two statues in Platenstrasse: one of Kaspar as he appeared in 1828, stooped over, legs bent oddly, the letter grasped in his hand. The other shows Kaspar as a refined young gentleman, much as he would have looked when he died from the knife wound in 1833.

Despite DNA tests and numerous books and studies, Kaspar Hauser’s real origins remain an enigma, and it is probable that no definitive conclusion will ever be made on his strange life.

Related Tags

Monuments Statues Mystery

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

Byrdmouse

  • Byrdmouse

Published

July 26, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://books.google.com/books?id=9DVya1w8TggC
  • http://www.online-literature.com/andrew_lang/historical-mysteries/6/
  • http://books.google.com/books?id=WULiHaC2fVIC
  • http://books.google.com/books?id=TWrzvN7_xjwC
Kaspar Hauser Monument
Platenstrasse
Ansbach, 91522
Germany
49.302393, 10.570951
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Medieval Crime Museum

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

miles away

Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

miles away

Memorium Nürnberger Prozesse (Nuremberg Trials Memorial)

Nuremberg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 748
Stories 68

Nearby Places

Medieval Crime Museum

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

miles away

Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

miles away

Memorium Nürnberger Prozesse (Nuremberg Trials Memorial)

Nuremberg, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 748
Stories 68

Related Places

  • Black Christ of Portobelo

    Portobelo, Panama

    Black Christ of Portobelo

    A mysterious dark-skinned Christ statue has been this town's religious center for centuries.

  • Librarian with Donkey Monument

    Ürgüp, Turkey

    Librarian With the Donkey Monument

    A monument to the Turkish librarian who delivered books on the back of a donkey.

  • A close-up view of the Ancient Melancholy Man.

    London, England

    Ancient Melancholy Man

    This statue in Holland Park might be one of London’s oldest outdoor statues, but its exact origins are unknown.

  • Lyon, France

    Saint Exupéry Monument

    This statue stands in honor of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author of 'The Little Prince' and an aviation hero.

  • Chuck and Snoopy

    Saint Paul, Minnesota

    Peanuts Gang Bronzes

    A tribute to Charles M. Schulz, who created the iconic cartoon that features Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and more.

  • A crowd of statues

    Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Garden of the Generalissimos

    A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

  • The Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa.

    Galveston, Texas

    Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa

    The statue, located at a mansion-turned-emancipation museum, honors Galveston’s history as the birthplace of Juneteenth.

  • Taken May 2024 -  Photographer Anna Duren

    Toyama, Japan

    Fureai Sekibutsu no Sato (Village of Statues)

    This abandoned park is home to hundreds of stone statues ranging from humans to mystical beings.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.