Anna Maria Schwegelin

Anna Maria Schwegelin (also: Schwägele, Schwegele, Schwägelin; January 23, 1729, in Lachen – February 7, 1781, in prison custody in Kempten ) was a maid alleged German (Bavarian) witch, long considered the last person to be convicted of witchcraft in the Holy Roman Empire, now modern-day Germany.

Life Born in 1729, Anna Maria Schwegelin grew up in poverty in Lachen and served as a maid. In 1751, Schwegelin, a Catholic, met a Protestant coachman from Memmingerberg while working temporarily at a country estate. According to her own statements he promised her marriage if she would convert to Protestantism. She seems to have been willing to abandon her Catholic faith and may have fully converted; however, the marriage plans were later broken off by the coachman. After this incident she reportedly was convinced that she had made a pact with the devil, later claiming he had made an appearance to her twice. At the first meeting, in an open field, she claimed that she resisted temptation and repelled him but by the second was ready to renounce God and make a pact. On December 18, 2018, Lord Mayor Thomas Kiechle unveiled an information point next to the Schwegelin fountain, on which details about her life can be found.