The preserved, decapitated head of Peter Kürten, the infamous “Vampire of Düsseldorf,” remains one of the most unsettling pieces in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! collection at Wisconsin Dells. This German serial killer, executed by guillotine on July 2, 1931, in Cologne, left a legacy of terror that still resonates in European criminal history. Kürten confessed to nine murders and dozens of sexual assaults between 1929 and 1930, acts so brutal they shocked the continent. His macabre nickname stemmed from a chilling statement: “I drank the blood of some of my victims because it gave me indescribable pleasure,” words he uttered during interrogations, according to police records from the time.

Imagine walking through the damp streets of Düsseldorf in the dead of night in the 1920s, when a seemingly ordinary man, a married electrician, stalked defenseless women, children, and men. Kürten didn’t kill for robbery or revenge; he was driven by pure sadism. He stabbed, strangled, and sometimes bit his victims until they drew warm blood. “I felt sexual excitement seeing the blood flow,” he admitted at his trial, where he detailed how he relived the crimes in his mind to masturbate. These confessions, recorded in court documents, turned his case into a media sensation that made headlines from Berlin to Paris.

After his capture in May 1930, thanks to a victim who escaped and betrayed him, Kürten was sentenced to death. The execution was swift: the guillotine fell with Prussian precision. But the story didn’t end there. Fascinated by the criminal mind, forensic doctors decapitated the body and preserved the head in formaldehyde. The brain was extracted for study through the lens of phrenology, a then-popular pseudoscience that sought physical anomalies to explain evil. “We wanted to find the biological origin of his depravity,” explained the pathologist in charge, according to documents archived at the University of Cologne. Years of analysis revealed nothing conclusive, only a normal brain that defied expectations.

Over time, this macabre relic passed from scientific hands to eccentric collectors. In the 1950s, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, the chain of museums dedicated to the bizarre, acquired the head. Today it rests in a glass jar in Wisconsin Dells, USA, its skin wrinkled, eyes closed, and a grimace that seems to smile at the visitor. Thousands come every year, drawn by that morbid curiosity that makes us gaze at the forbidden. “It’s like touching evil with your eyes,” comments one regular visitor in online reviews, while another adds, “You wonder if that brain harbored invisible demons.”

This exhibit is not just a spectacle; it raises profound dilemmas. Is it ethical to display the human remains of a monster? For some, yes: it confronts the darkness of humanity and educates about criminal justice. “Kürten’s head reminds us that evil exists and must be exposed,” argues a German criminologist in recent interviews. Others see it as pure voyeurism, a commodification of horror that desecrates the memory of the victims. In Germany, where the crimes occurred, the debate resurfaces periodically. Family associations demand their burial, but Ripley’s defends their historical value: “We preserve history so that it is not repeated.”

Peter Kürten wasn’t the only “vampire” of the era; he inspired urban legends and even horror films. His case influenced modern forensic psychology, spurring studies on psychopaths that now use MRI scans. However, nothing captures that essence like his actual head, floating in amber liquid. What secrets does that brain still hold? Scientists dream of scanning it again, but for now, it remains an enigma frozen in time.

Visiting Ripley’s in Wisconsin Dells is to immerse yourself in a world of the impossible, where the believable collides with the atrocious. Kürten’s head headlines the true crime section, surrounded by shrunken heads and mummies. Entire families pass by, children covering their eyes, adults murmuring. “I’ll never forget that empty stare,” writes one visitor on TripAdvisor. It’s a reminder that history isn’t just dates and heroes; it includes shadows like Kürten, whose bloodlust forces us to question our own humanity.

Nearly a century after his death, the Vampire of Düsseldorf remains “alive” in that jar. His legacy transcends the museum: he inspires podcasts, documentaries, and crime novels. In an era obsessed with true crime, Kürten represents the archetype of the charismatic and cruel killer. “I was a monster, but society made me this way,” he said in his last letter, blaming an abusive childhood. Truth or manipulation? The debate continues.

If you’re looking for thrills, plan a trip to Wisconsin Dells. There, behind glass, Peter Kürten awaits. He’s not just a head; he’s a portal to the depths of the human soul. Approach him if you dare, and discover why this German vampire still captivates generations. True history always surpasses fiction, and this is one that will keep you up at night.