[5] Tomb of the Trumpeter of Säckingen
Description
On the exterior of the minster, a niche contains Scheffel’s relief bust and the gravestone of the couple who inspired his romantic epic. During his stay in Bad Säckingen (1850/51), Scheffel learned of the true love story between the townsman Franz Werner Kirchhofer (1633–1690) and the noblewoman Maria Ursula von Schönau (1632–1691). Her brothers forbade the marriage due to social rank, but the couple wed anyway and lived in exile for a time. After Maria Ursula successfully reclaimed her inheritance, they returned to Säckingen as prosperous and charitable citizens. Their story gained worldwide fame through Scheffel’s 1854 epic poem.
Inscription on the gravestone:
“Here sought and found eternal rest of soul and body the incomparable couple Franz Werner Kirchhofer and Maria Ursula von Schönau, united in deep mutual love.”
