A German tourist mailed back a skull he took from the catacombs under Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral about 60 years ago. The catacombs hold roughly 11,000 burials from the 18th century. Archivist Franz Zehetner said the skull arrived with a letter: “Now, at the end of my life, I want to come to terms with myself.” The skull has been reinterred, and officials say it is still unclear how it was removed decades earlier.
German Tourist Returns Skull He Took From Vienna Cathedral After 60 Years
A German tourist mailed back a skull he took from the catacombs under Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral about 60 years ago. The catacombs hold roughly 11,000 burials from the 18th century. Archivist Franz Zehetner said the skull arrived with a letter: “Now, at the end of my life, I want to come to terms with myself.” The skull has been reinterred, and officials say it is still unclear how it was removed decades earlier.
09:30, 04.11.2025Culture
Skull Taken from St. Stephen’s Cathedral Returned After Six Decades
A German man has returned a human skull he removed from the catacombs beneath Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral about 60 years ago, multiple news outlets report. The catacombs contain the remains of roughly 11,000 people interred during the 18th century.
Archivist Franz Zehetner said the skull arrived by mail in a package accompanied by a letter in which the man explained his decision to send the relic back. According to Zehetner, the letter read:
“Now, at the end of my life, I want to come to terms with myself.”
Zehetner thanked the man for returning the skull and described the gesture as moving. He noted that the man framed the act as an episode of youthful indiscretion and that the skull had been carefully preserved over the decades rather than discarded.
It remains unclear how the tourist was able to remove the skull from the catacombs during the guided tour so many years ago. Cathedral officials said the skull has now been reinterred in the catacombs.
Context and sensitivity: The catacombs at St. Stephen’s are a historic burial site, and the cathedral treats human remains with respect. Officials declined to speculate about the identity of the remains or the motivations behind the original theft beyond the sender’s written apology.
For additional updates, check official statements from St. Stephen’s Cathedral and local Austrian news sources.