Kaspar Hauser
A teenage boy appeared in a Nuremberg square holding a letter, barely able to speak, and said he'd spent his life in a dark cell.
What was reported
On 26 May 1828 a youth of about 16 appeared in Nuremberg carrying a letter addressed to a cavalry captain. He knew few words, but could write his name: Kaspar Hauser. He later said he'd been kept alone in a small dark cell for as long as he could remember, fed bread and water by a man he never saw.
He became famous across Europe, and rumours spread that he was a lost prince of the House of Baden. He died in 1833 from a wound he said a stranger had given him.
Explanations offered
His origins have never been established. DNA tests over the years have given conflicting results on the Baden theory, and a 2024 study found no link. Some historians think he was a fantasist whose story grew in the telling; others accept that he was genuinely kept isolated and mistreated.
- When
- 26 May 1828
- Where
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Witnesses
- Nuremberg townspeople and officials
- Status
- Never solved
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.