Plague grooves

The Thirty Years’ War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, brought immeasurable suffering to people. There were raids, looting and acts of violence by roving soldiers. Cities and communities often had to pay ransoms, while agriculture, trade and industry fell into decline. But people suffered not only from violence, hunger and injustice. In the town of Nordhorn, for example, almost 1,000 people died within a few months in 1635 and 1636—about a third of the population. They fell victim to the plague. It broke out several times during the war, not only in Nordhorn but in other places too. It is said that birds avoided church roofs, driven away by the constant ringing of the death bells. Today we know that this disease was caused by a tiny bacterium spread by fleas from rats to people. In the Middle Ages, people did not know what caused it and had no remedy. Back then, people and animals lived under one roof in simple houses, hygiene was poor, and vermin spread, especially in wartime.

The plague was already a major scourge in Europe before the Thirty Years’ War. It was especially devastating in 1347, when it ravaged nearly every country and killed a third of the people alive at the time. Since people did not know any better, they saw the plague as God’s punishment or the result of foul winds. Some blamed foreigners, people with disabilities, beggars, Roma, sorcerers, witches, or Jews. These explanations were false, but people were quick to believe them. They avoided strangers, and persecutions took place again and again, including the persecution of Jewish people.

During times of plague, desperate people scraped fine dust from church walls. They mixed it with water, drank the mixture and hoped it would make them well again. It probably did little to help. But the scratches can still often be seen on old churches. They are called “plague scratches” or “plague grooves”.