Description
The "Hungerturm" in Ravelsbach is a historic building that was originally a storage tower used to store blocks of ice to keep food and wine fresh in summer. Today it gives its name to and is the setting for the adventure and horror theater "Gänsehaut am Hungerturm", which is based on a historical legend about the tower and offers night hikes with tests of courage and riddles.
The legend
The Ravelsbach vicarage estate included a tower that served as a storage tower. In winter, the basement of the building was filled with blocks of ice cut from the nearby pond. This meant that wine and meat could also be kept fresh in summer.
One day, pigs were slaughtered on the estate. At the "Sautanz", thick Blunz'n, Grammeln, liver sausages and a few other things were prepared.
A hungry tramp watched the goings-on from afar. Attracted by the smells, he crept closer and saw the various delicacies being carried away. He knew about the existence of the tower and its use from his circle of friends. Naturally, he assumed that the good things were hauled there. It occurred to him to wait until dark, sneak in and cut off a big bite.
As he still had some time left until the evening, he remembered that the mayor of Ravelsbach had three kreutzer for vagrants. This social benefit was decided by the Ravelsbach municipal council at the time in order to reduce begging in the stores.
It was finally dark enough to carry out the plan. He skillfully crept up to the tower through the vicarage woods. He cautiously pressed the door's buckle and, to his surprise, the door gave way. Driven by hunger, he groped his way forward in the darkness. He froze in shock as a sudden gust of wind slammed the door shut behind him. He quickly recovered and searched for the supposed delights. But no matter how feverishly he rummaged around, he found nothing except the skeleton of a dead rat. Disappointed, he turned towards the exit. He was shocked when he realized that the door could no longer be opened from the inside and that he was caught in a huge mousetrap. He decided to wait until morning in the hope that someone would let him out of his involuntary prison.
The next morning, he shook the door and screamed with all his might for help, but no one heard his cries. For days, he desperately repeated his attempts to attract attention, but to no avail. His attempts became weaker and weaker. The man died of thirst and starvation in agony.
In late fall, the servants wanted to clean out the empty pantry. They discovered the mummified body of the intruder. Excited, they ran to the lord of the manor and reported the gruesome discovery. The market judge was called. He had the body recovered and examined, but no one knew his name or where he had come from. His mortal remains were then buried in the pauper's grave.
From then on, people christened the old masonry "Hunger Tower" and tell this story to this day.
Text by Gerda Wiesböck from the book "Hexen- und Raubersg'schichten" aus Ravelsbach und Umgebung collected by Charlotte Binder, written by the pupils of the secondary school in Ravelsbach. Published in 1994.
The saga as a video: https://www.gänsehaut.at/?page_id=10
The horror theater "Goosebumps at the Hunger Tower"
This legend gave rise to the idea of an event in 2006, which has long since become known beyond the market town. Since then, the original story has been re-enacted every year and presented in an adventure, station and horror theater.
Groups of visitors (max. 8 people) hike around 5 km of trail in around 2 hours, during which they have to overcome tests of courage and solve puzzles - always accompanied by the gloomy creepy ambience of the Hunger Tower and Water Tower.
The event attracts around 450 visitors every year and is very popular. As a result, tickets are in high demand and usually sell out within minutes. After a seven-year break, the event was resumed in 2024.
