The Disturbing Story of When Germans Ate Pickled Human Meat After the First World War

Sold at the market like real meat

Lioness Rue
4 min readMay 9, 2024
a black and white image depicting people eating human parts as the serial killer in the story sold human meat to his society.
Theodor de Bry, America, Part 3, 1593/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. — image britannica.com

In the early 1920s, in Germany, it was a tradition for the locals in the city of Münsterberg to hold a weekly outdoor market. The market was very popular.

One stand in particular stood out.

The bearded owner attracted hundreds of customers, filling his pouch with coins every day. The man not only sold fresh, tender meat but also specialized in deliciously pickled meat in jars, as well as superior-quality shoelaces and leather belts.

Meanwhile, his products were very affordable, considering that this was a devastating period after the war and many products were scarce. Therefore, he always sold out his merchandise.

The Meat Seller Was Called Karl Denke

The people of Münsterberg were fond of Karl Denke, the man who put fresh food on their table.

By 1924, Karl was sixty-four years old. He was born in Oberkunzendorf, Silesia, Prussia, now known as Kalinowice, Górne, Poland. As a withdrawn child, Karl was suspected of being autistic.

At the age of ten, he moved with his family to Münsterberg, and two years later, Karl ran away from home. To survive…

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