Barbara Zdunk

Barbara Zdunk (1769 – 21 August 1811) was an ethnically Polish alleged arsonist accused of witchcraft.

Zdunk lived in the town of Rößel, in what was then East Prussia, and is now Reszel in Poland.

In 1811, Zdunk was executed by burning at the stake on a hill outside Rößel, though she was apparently strangled to death by the executioner before the fire was set.

There is uncertainty as to the true reason for Zdunk's conviction, which was upheld by several appeal courts, up to the king himself.

Revenge on Poland on the part of the Prussian authorities or a concession to an outraged public may have played a role, or that she was a 38-year-old woman who had a teenage boyfriend.