Although the executioner’s profession was considered an elite one, as it was linked to the local administration of justice, it brought social contempt upon the person who practised it. Executioners were men whose duties were inherited by their sons. Surviving sources attest to executioners in the town from the 17th century. However, they were already active in Stargard in the 15th century, when the town acquired from the dukes the right to impose capital punishment. The first executioner known by name was Hans Kuntz (Kunz, Kuntze, Kuntzen).
The Griffin holds an executioner’s sword, the tool used by the executioner in Stargard to carry out sentences. The original sword of the Stargard executioner can be seen in the permanent exhibition in the Bastion in Piastowski Park.