The Falkner Cross

In the Hutstein Forest, next to the path from Osterwasser to Hutstein, there is a wooden cross with the tools of Christ’s torture.
Before the First World War, Johann Falkner (a.k.a. Petern-Poldi Hans) from Hutstein was involved in a fight in Pfarrkirchen during a conversation. He tore up a grave cross in the cemetery and killed his opponent with it. About a year later he went home drunk on the Kirchensteig (Hutstein-Steig), the path from Oberkappel. As he was walking through the forest, he suddenly received a resounding slap in the face that made his hat blow off his head. Johann Falkner was absolutely convinced that the spirit of whom he slain had given him this tremendous slap. He then had this wooden cross erected so that the spirit could find its rest and also leave him alone.

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