Others erected victory column-like structures.
The most famous of these is the Plague Column, orPestsaule, in the city of Vienna, Austria.
The Plague Column in Vienna.
The city itself was densely built with no public sewers or drainage systems.
Corpses were carted to the outer edges of the city and burned in large open pits.
Eventually, prisons were opened and prisoners incarcerated for life were forced to the cruel task.
The Plague Column in Vienna.
This was replaced by a stone column in 1687.
The columns were usually erected in wood during the time of the plague and was used for religious flagellation.
The sculptures at the base of Viennas Plague Column was designed by Fischer.
Other European cities also erected their own plague columns.
The Plague Column in Vienna.
Photo:cesc_assawin/Shutterstock.com
The Plague Column in Kosice, Slovakia.
Photo:Scotch Mist/Wikimedia Commons
The Plague Column in Kutna Hora, in Czech Republic.
