While walking along the city walls of Friesach, I came across this reconstruction of a medieval installation. The German inscription describes it as Bäckertauche. Literature told me this used to be a tool for punishment in earlier times.
The use of a Bäckertauche
Baker (Bäcker), who cheated their clients, were locked into this cage and immersed (tauchen) into the water several times. In Austria, people called this event Bäckerschupfen or Bäckertaufe. In Vienna, the last Bäckerschupfen took place in 1776.
Sources / More info
- Link Description of the Bäckerschupfen in the Austria-Forum [DEU]