On the left, the only historical image of Countess Báthory. On the right, a painting by Santiago Caruso.
The tale of one of history's most prolific murderers. Elizabeth Báthory's bloodlust was, in a word, unforgiving. Unlike army commanders and dictators whose death tolls would far outnumber hers, of this we can safely assume of Báthory's incredible performance: she was present for each and every one. For these tragedies were not committed for political or social reasons. No. Hers were acts of passion. Bloody, indulgent passion.
Will you take a stroll with me into the Čachtice Castle? We may hear a few screams here or there. The occasional, ignored plea for mercy. There’s an undeniable stench of wet iron to the air, and it certainly isn’t coming from the furniture. No, that’s pure silver and gold. Have you see how they dress their servants? Talk about lavish. In any case, I think most of the ruckus is coming from a chamber far below …
Let’s have a look, shall we?
