Elisabeth Plainacher

Who was Elisabeth Plainacher?

Elisabeth Plainacher, or Elsa Plainacher, was an alleged Austrian witch. She was the only person executed for sorcery in the city of Vienna.

Elsa Plainacher's parents operated a mill in Pielamund by the Danube. She was married three times and had children. When her daughter Margaret died, she became the guardian of her four grandchildren by her. Three of them soon died, but and only one, Anna, was left. Anna suffered from epilepsy, which was seen as a sign of the Devil. Elsa was seen as responsible for the sickness of Anna and also for the deaths of her husband and three other grandchildren. Elsa was arrested and taken to Vienna, where her case was overseen by the Jesuit inquisitor Georg Scherer. During the interrogations, she confessed to anything under torture. She was judged guilty and sentenced to be executed by burning.