Malchen's rest

The stone is not like any other: It once served as the first step to the Holzhäuser town hall. Even the remains of a baluster can still be seen. Since 1957, it has served as a memorial stone, which master carpenter Fritz Emme from Holzhausen and Albert Struck from Löwensen had made. Both had witnessed the tragedy as boys and helped in the search for Amalie. But what had actually happened? In the summer of 1893, Amalie Prasse, called Malchen, was strangled to death on this very spot by her lover August Paatz while picking strawberries. They had a child together, which August did not want to pay for. As a result, the two often quarreled. On this day, they wanted to meet in the forest to talk things over. When Amalie went missing, a crime was suspected and August came under suspicion. "Hundreds" of people searched for Malchen and eventually her body was found here. Next to the information board and the memorial stone is a bench that invites you to linger. The Hanover jury court sentenced August Paatz to death - but the Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. August spent his time in prison in Celle, was pardoned after the First World War and lived in Bremen until 1937, where he worked as an innkeeper.