Marble Monument in the Forest near Jeseník Holds the Legend of a Major Who Took His Own Life

In the forest near the spa town of Jeseník, a striking monument stands — the so-called Enhuber's tombstone, also known as "Enhuber's grave." This landmark is tied to the tragic story of an Austrian officer who, according to one version of events, took his own life after failing to endure the harsh Prießnitz water-cure treatments.

Originally, a wooden cross marked the spot in memory of the senseless death of Major Friedrich Edler von Enhuber of the Austrian General Staff, a native of Vienna. In 1865, a marble monument was erected on the site of his suicide and final resting place, and it survives to this day.

A Romantic Legend versus a More Prosaic Version

According to one legend, the 39-year-old major fell in love with Baroness Ilona von Ebenhausen, a beautiful aristocrat already engaged to a Hungarian magnate. The woman reportedly returned his feelings, but her jealous fiancé found out and allegedly used Enhuber's involvement in the March uprising in Vienna against him — after its suppression, the major had gone into hiding at the Gräfenberg spa. The Hungarian denounced him, and rather than face arrest, Enhuber took his own life.

However, this version doesn't quite hold up chronologically: historians point out that by the time of the uprising, Enhuber was already a patient at the spa. That's why the less romantic version is considered more plausible — the officer simply couldn't withstand the gruelling Prießnitz treatments, suffered a psychological breakdown, and decided to end his life.

A Cemetery Scandal and a Grave Relocation

From this point on, both versions of the story converge. The major was buried at the cemetery in Frývaldov (Jeseník), but two days later a local apprentice also took his own life there. On the orders of the parish priest, Father Bude, the apprentice was buried outside consecrated ground. This so outraged local residents that they smashed the windows of the priest's house and threatened that unless the noble suicide victim was removed from the cemetery, they would burn the house down and drive the priest out of town.

That very evening, Enhuber's remains were exhumed and reburied at Gräfenberg — on the very spot where the major had taken his own life.

A Monument from "Noble Ladies"

It seems the officer was quite popular with women: according to the story, in 1865 the "noble ladies of Gräfenberg and Frývaldov" had a marble monument erected on the site, its top cut at an angle — a symbol of a life cut short. A low iron fence once surrounded it; today a bench stands in its place.

The marble column still bears a German inscription describing "a man full of life and strength" who fell "victim to worldly malice," to whom friendship gave "a blossoming forest grave." The text, attributed to a certain Rittmeister, can still be read today — despite having been removed for a long period after World War II.

The monument was restored in 2014, and today this quiet reminder of 19th-century romanticism is considered one of the best-preserved landmarks of its era in the Jeseník region.

Read also: The Top Landmarks of Czechia

Source: turistika.cz