The Story of Red Franz
- June 1900, Neu Versen: Peat cutter Bernard Herbers struck an obstacle with his spade. He quickly realized that he had found the body of a young man.
90 years later, laboratory analyses confirmed that the bog body was that of a 25-year-old man from the 4th century A.D. Today we know that he was a Germanic warrior. He often traveled on horseback. He wore his blond hair artfully styled, and with his towering stature, he certainly made an impression. His death was no accident: a cut across his throat ended his life, and his body was subsequently deposited in the bog.
That is how the story of the oldest known murder case in the Emsland region began. The death of the so-called “Red Franz” remains a mystery to this day. Many questions remain unanswered: Why did he have to die? Who murdered him? And how did he end up in the moor in the first place?
Enter our writing contest and solve the mysteries surrounding the murder of Red Franz in a fictional crime story. Let your imagination run wild. The contest is open to all individuals between the ages of 12 and 18. Stories can be submitted via email to info@archaeologie-emsland.de with the subject line “The Murder of Red Franz.” Please note the maximum character limit of 8,000 characters, including spaces.
The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2026. The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. at the Emsland Archaeology Museum.