The German city of Hanover is not afraid of the skeletons in its closet. The city's tourism offices recently released a children's advent calendar celebrating the town, and among the cheerful carolers, ice-fishers and hockey players stands a man carrying a large cleaver.
He is Fritz Haarmann, the well-known serial killer who murdered 24 young men between the ages of 13 and 20, chopped up the bodies and dumped the remains in the local river Leine. He was sentenced to death and beheaded (let the punishment fit the crime!) in 1925.
The head of the Hanover tourism board, Hans-Christian Nolte defended the calendar: "He is part of our city's history. Even on guided tours the serial killer's story is told."
But far from pulling the calendar over the outcry, the tourism board says that it has become somewhat of a collector's item. The initial 20,000 copy run of the calendar is now expected to sell out soon, because orders are pouring in from Berlin, Vienna and other parts of Austria. Proceeds from the sales are going towards a local charity for children with cancer.
Nonetheless, Nolte said no axe-murderers will be appearing in next year's calendar.