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Carl Gröpler: Germany's Executioner Who Beheaded the Vampire of Düsseldorf
Carl Gröpler was one of the last official executioners in German history and a key figure in the system of capital punishment that operated during both the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Over a career spanning decades, he carried out at least 144 executions using both the traditional executioner's axe and the guillotine.
Born in 1868 in Magdeburg, Gröpler followed an unusual path before entering the profession. After working as a musician, postal employee, butcher, and businessman, he became assistant to the Prussian state executioner and eventually assumed responsibility for carrying out…
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