Friedrich Zawrel grew up in Vienna during the Third Reich. As a child, he was labeled “difficult” and “unmanageable” by the authorities. That was enough to place him inside the Nazi welfare and psychiatric system...a system that decided which children were worth keeping alive.

In this episode, we look at Friedrich’s early life and how he ended up at Spiegelgrund, the children’s ward in Vienna where hundreds of young patients were imprisoned, abused, and murdered as part of the Nazi “child euthanasia program".

Friedrich was one of the few who survived. This is his story!

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Vienna, 1940. On the hills above the city stood a children’s psychiatric institution called Am Spiegelgrund. Officially it was a place for treatment, observation, and care. In reality though, it became part of the Nazi system that classified vulnerable children as “unfit,” subjected them to medical abuse, and in hundreds of cases sent them to their deaths.

This episode focuses on the historical background: how a modern medical system was abused as mechanism for sorting, controlling, and ultimately killing the most vulnerable children in society.

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In 1660, a respected estate steward left the English market town of Chipping Campden to collect rent and never came home. His bloodstained belongings were soon found by the roadside, and suspicion quickly fell on his servant, John Perry. What followed was a chain of confessions, accusations, arrests, and a trial that ended in execution.

There was only one problem....Nearly two years later, the supposedly murdered man walked back into town alive.

BUT...where had he been?!

ampden Wonder, William Harrison disappearance, John Perry Campden, Chipping Campden murder case, 1660 England true crime, historical miscarriage of justice, Nicholas Overbury account, early modern English crime, false confession history, 17th century criminal trial, murder without a body case, English Assizes trial history, Restoration England crime, man executed for murder victim returned alive, famous historical wrongful execution case, strangest true crime cases in English history

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Why do we casually reference pillories, hunger, or medieval tally sticks while talking about our week?

In this episode, we’re digging into the origins of everyday German and English sayings, specifically the ones we use without thinking about what we’re actually saying.

From “spill the beans” to „die Katze im Sack kaufen“...

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In Part 3, we follow Friedrich after Küstrin.

This episode looks at what Friedrich became once he held absolute power: the military strategist, the administrator, the enlightened absolutist who read philosophy while sending tens of thousands to their deaths. We talk about Sanssouci as a deliberate retreat, his devotion to animals over people, his refusal of intimacy, and the contradictions that defined his reign.

It’s the story of a man who learned how to rule by never again allowing himself to be vulnerable.

Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, Frederick II of Prussia, Sanssouci, Schloss Sanssouci, Potsdam Sanssouci, Prussian monarchy, Prussian king, Enlightened absolutism, Seven Years’ War, Prussian military history, Prussian expansion, Frederick the Great personality, Frederick the Great psychology, Frederick the Great trauma, Frederick the Great animals, Frederick the Great dogs, Frederick the Great Sanssouci philosophy, 18th century Prussia, European monarchs history, absolutist rulers Europe, Frederick the Great later life, Frederick the Great legacy

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After being arrested and imprisoned at Küstrin, Friedrich is stripped of rank, freedom, and is forced into isolation, surveillance, and humiliation, while the fate of his closest friend, Hans Hermann von Katte, hangs over everything.

Friedrich knows exactly what’s at stake. He’s seen how this ends for other crown princes. Only a few years earlier, Peter the Great had imprisoned, tortured, and executed his own son. Will he face the same fate?

Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, Crown Prince Friedrich, Küstrin fortress, Küstrin imprisonment, Hans Hermann von Katte, Katte execution, Friedrich Wilhelm I, Prussian royal family, Prussian monarchy, 18th century Prussia, royal imprisonment, court martial Prussia, Prussian military justice, trauma of monarchy, enlightened absolutism origins, Frederick the Great childhood, Frederick the Great imprisonment, Küstrin Castle, Prussian crown prince arrest, royal punishment history, execution of Katte, Alexei Petrovich execution, Russian crown prince 1718, royal fathers and sons, authoritarian parenting history, Prussian history podcast, European monarchy trauma

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Friedrich II of Prussia is remembered as “the Great.”
But before he became the most famous Prussian king, he tried to run!

In this first part of a two-episode series, we go back to the beginning: to Friedrich II von Preußen’s childhood under the rule of his father, the so-called Soldier King. We talk about Prussia before it was shaped into a European super power, a court ruled by discipline and fear, and a father whose effectiveness as a ruler did not necessarily make him a great dad.

Also: if you want the original story of the Amber Room, why it started in Prussia, why Friedrich Wilhelm gave it away, and how it became one of the most mysterious lost artworks in history, you need to listen to this episode.

Friedrich II of Prussia, Frederick the Great, Friedrich Wilhelm I, Soldier King of Prussia, Hans Hermann von Katte, Wilhelmine of Prussia, Prussian royal family, Prussian court history, Prussia 18th century, Potsdam Giants, Lange Kerls, Amber Room history, Amber Room Prussia, Amber Room Peter the Great, Prussian military culture, royal abuse history, historical escape attempt, Prussian monarchy, European royal family trauma, Fresh Hell Podcast

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In 1920s Vienna, a woman calling herself Baroness Cadvé ran what appeared to be a private language school for children. Behind the polite advertisements and the respectable address in the city center was something much darker.

This episode tells the story of Edith Kadivec, the woman at the center of the 1924 Vienna "Sadist Trial,” in which she was accused of abusing children for the sexual gratification of wealthy and powerful clients. The case exposed not just one abusive teacher, but a whole network of doctors, businessmen, artists, and aristocrats who believed their status would protect them.

This episode contains discussion of child abuse and exploitation.

f this episode brought up difficult feelings for you or someone you care about, you’re not alone, and support is available. Here are some trusted organizations and hotlines where you can find help, support, and information.

National Child Abuse Hotline
Call 1-800-4A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or visit childhelp.org
Available 24/7 for confidential support, crisis intervention, and referrals to local services.

National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text BEFREE (233733)
Chat and resources available at humantraffickinghotline.org
Confidential support, crisis intervention, and connections to services nationwide.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
Call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat at rainn.org
Provides support for survivors of sexual violence of any age.

Rat auf Draht (Helpline for children and young people)
Free, confidential support for children and teens.
Tel: 147
Website: rataufdrah.at

B-PLAN – Hilfe für Betroffene von Menschenhandel und Ausbeutung
Support and assistance for trafficking survivors in Austria.
Website: b-plan.at

Frauenhelpline (Women’s Helpline)
Confidential support for women experiencing violence or abuse.
Tel: 0800 222 555 (Free in Austria)
Website: frauenhelpline.at

Gewalt-Hotline (Violence hotline)
Offers information and referral for people affected by violence.
Tel: 0800 188 188
Website: gewaltinfo.at

Child Helpline International
Connects you to child helplines around the world.
Website: childhelplineinternational.org
Find a local number in your country.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Anti-Trafficking
Global resources and support information.
Website: unodc.org (search “human trafficking”).

ECPAT International
Works to end child exploitation worldwide and provides links to support services.
Website: ecpat.org

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If you want to watch Henry's wonderful documentary, you can find the English version here:

https://www.henryhauck.de/en-us

and the German version here:

https://www.henryhauck.de/de

In this episode we speak with filmmaker Henry Hauck, a cousin of one of the "Missing Children of Pirmasens", a series of missing person cases from the 1960s, that have never been resolved and continue to haunt the town to this day. 

Decades later, Henry chose to confront this history by making a documentary, not only as a filmmaker, but as a family member living with unanswered questions.

In our conversation, Henry talks about growing up in the shadow of a disappearance, the long-term impact these cases have on families and the town of Pirmasens, and about the main suspect...Günter Justus!

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Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Our True Crime Podcast, covering the deeply troubling murder of Michelle McNeill.

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