Cake "Agnes Bernauer" (Agnes-Bernauer-Torte)

Agnes Bernauer
Agnes Bernauer is perhaps the most famous and legendary resident of Straubing.



The year of birth of Agnes Bernauer is 1410, the place is Augsburg.Traditionally, Agnes is called the daughter of a bathhouse attendant (the owner of a bathhouse?) Named Kaspar Bernauer, whose existence is generally not confirmed by known documents ... The young girl liked Albrecht III, the son of the Bavarian Duke Ernst, when he arrived in Augsburg for the February knightly tournament in 1428. The young man in love took her to Munich and took care of a worthy place for her beloved at the court of the Duke of Bavaria. There are references and indirect evidence in favor of the version of the secret marriage of Agnes and Albrecht, the only heir to the Bavarian throne.
The ruler of Bavaria, Duke Ernst, judged that the choice of his son was dangerous for the Wittelsbach dynasty. The children from this marriage would no longer be nobility.
Albrecht in 1435 stayed in Straubing as deputy of the duke, his residence was the Ducal castle, Agnes accompanies him as usual. In October, Albrecht leaves for a hunt at the invitation of his relative, the head of the Duchy of Bavaria-Landshut, while his father, Duke Ernst, orders the capture of his beloved son and conducts a hasty witchcraft process, one of the first in Germany. At the trial, Agnes is accused of bewitching, that is, bewitching Albrecht.
The accusation of witchcraft in the 15th century was no laughing matter! Naturally, there were both "material evidence" and "witnesses". In those years, there were two ways of executing "witches" - burning at the stake or drowning. Out of "mercy," Agnes was sentenced to death by drowning as a less painful form of death. This was called the "water test". The right hand was tied to the left leg, and the left to the right. And they threw it into a pond. If a woman drowned, then she was declared innocent (after all, water, as an element of purity, will not accept an "unclean person"). If not, it meant that the defendant was a witch.
Legend has it that the accused had a choice. She could break the marriage bond and remain alive as a reward. One way or another, in 1435 Agnes was executed. They executed her for a long time and ineptly. With a large crowd of people, she was thrown from the bridge into the water. Since the executioner did not tied his hands well, the victim managed to free himself and tried to swim away. Then she was drowned a second time by wrapping her long hair around an iron bar.



When Albrecht III learned of what had happened, he rashly began to gather troops. But pity for his subjects, who could have died in an internecine struggle, forced him to refuse revenge.
Under pressure from Emperor Sigismund, Albrecht made peace with his parent, and a year later he was comforted in a new marriage with Anna von Braunschweig and gave birth to 10 children. Already in 1436, Duke Ernst ordered in honor of his first unfortunate daughter-in-law to build a chapel in the city cemetery of Straubing (then at St. Peterskirche), which was named Agnes, Agnes-Bernauer-Kapelle, and to celebrate the "eternal" Mass in Karmelitenkirche.
The burial place of Agnes is still unknown: at her will, she could be buried in the Karmelitenkloster monastery, because the Carmelite Church in Straubing was considered the church of the ducal court and Agnes generously donated to her, but the subsequent restructuring there did not allow finding her grave. There is a version that the remains were transferred to Agnes-Bernauer-Kapelle at the cemetery near St. Peterskirche, in any case its tombstone was embedded in the wall of the chapel (to preserve it from abrasion), but no burial was found behind the slab. The relief of a slab of pink marble depicts Agnes in life size: her head is resting on a pillow, a rosary in her hands, and at her feet are two dogs escorting to another world (according to another interpretation, the dogs represent the loyalty of the spouses Agnes and Albrecht). The date of death is engraved on the plate: October 12, 1436 (wrongly - instead of 1435). Since the beginning of the 19th century, the chapel has become one of the main attractions of Straubing and is sure to be visited by tourists. Unfortunately, recently it has been closed for free access due to the increased incidence of vandalism.
The fate of Agnes has always attracted the attention of artists and poets due to its romantic plot and tragic ending.Since the 17th century, sentimental history has been embodied in numerous works in poetry and prose, staged on the stage and even in a feature film ("The Judgment of God" is a French film with Louis de Funes). In Straubing, every four years in the courtyard of the Ducal Castle, performances are held on the theme of the tragic fate of Agnes Bernauer Festspiele.

From the history of cake creation
The inventors and discoverers of the Agnes Bernauer cake are the pastry chefs of the popular and traditional Straubing Café Krönner in the heart of the city by the City Tower. The building of the cafe, the earliest written records of which date back to the 13th century, was bought by the Krönner family in 1910 and for over a century it has been a cozy and familiar meeting place for Straubing gourmets.

Naturally, the Krönner firm emphasizes in every possible way its priority and copyright for the traditional Straubing delicacy, but perhaps not everything is simple with a legal justification: another city confectionery, Schmidt Cafe, pleases visitors with Agnes Bernauer cakes.

The differences in the products of the two competitors are not only gustatory, but also external: for "Kronner" it is exactly the cake in the relatively impressive sizes we are used to, cut and served (sold) in portions. In Café Schmidt, Agnes Bernauer is Törtchen, small round and tall cakes.
In general, according to some reports, about 20 confectioners throughout Germany produce cakes with the name "Agnes Bernauer" and even sell them online frozen. With all the variety to choose from, the original Agnes-Bernauer -Torte can only be tasted in the Krönner Straubing shop!

Sources - 🔗
🔗
🔗
🔗