'Butcher' brutally dismembered boys with his teeth – then sold their flesh as horse meat

This serial killer committed horrific crimes against 24 young men and boys (Image: Getty)

In the war-torn streets of post-World War I Germany, a monster hiding in plain sight thrust the city of Hanover into a nightmare. Known to history by chilling nicknames such as “The Butcher of Hanover,” “The Vampire of Hanover,” and “The Wolf Man,” Fritz Haarmann’s crimes remain among the most horrific ever recorded in inter-war Europe.

Born Friedrich Heinrich Karl Haarmann on October 25, 1879, Haarmann was born into a troubled household as the youngest of six children. His mother, seven years older than his father, proved to be frail and bedridden in her final years, while his father was prone to drunken rages and violence. From early on, Haarmann exhibited gender-non-conforming tendencies, preferring to play with dolls, having few friends his own age or gender, and being dressed in girls’ clothing by his mother. He was expelled from military training in 1895 following epileptic fits, drifted from job to job and gradually devolved into petty crime. By the end of World War 1, the economic collapse of Germany, hunger, social chaos and the collapse of traditional authority left many young people vulnerable - and Haarmann was ready to exploit them.

Fritz Haarmann (centre) handcuffed to police in 1924 (Image: Getty)

In September 1918, Haarmann is believed to have begun murdering young men and boys – often homeless, unemployed or runaways. He had established himself in Hanover as a dealer in secondhand clothes and meat and even acted as a police informant, which gave him a camouflage of respectability and allowed him access to vulnerable youngsters at the railway station.

His method was brutal: escort a young man to his attic room, give food and drink, then often bite the victim’s Adam’s apple, sometimes completely severing the windpipe and trachea. The corpses were dismembered, and any remains were dumped into the River Leine.

Rumours grew that the meat he sold in the marketplace was, in fact, human flesh disguised as pork or horse. While no conclusive evidence proved the meat sold was human, investigators noted his extensive illegal meat trade and the suspicious origin of his supplies.

Fritz Haarmann was found guilty of 24 murders and was executed by guillotine in 1925 (Image: Getty)

In 1924, the situation in Hanover deteriorated into further horror. On May 17, a skull washed up near the Herrenhausen Gardens. More skulls appeared, and by June, the river revealed over 500 body parts from dozens of victims aged mostly between 14 and 22.

As the police began to investigate, Haarmann continued to operate, protected in part by his informant status. It was only on the night of June 22, 1924, that Haarmann was observed at the railway station with a 15-year-old boy. He attempted to have the youth arrested on false papers, but the boy turned the tables and accused Haarmann of sexual assault. Haarmann was arrested the next morning.

At his trial, which opened on 4 December 1924, Haarmann was found guilty of 24 murders. On April 15, 1925, he was executed by guillotine in Hanover prison.

While the extent of his crimes sent shockwaves through Germany, it also exposed deep social fractures in the Weimar Republic.