BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Of the 23 skulls found in German writer Friedrich Schiller's tomb, not one belongs to him -- not even the biggest one -- according to new DNA research.

    The DNA results add another chapter to a mystery dating back to 1826, only 21 years after Schiller died, when it was decided that he needed a new resting place.

A skull, thought to be German poet Friedrich Schiller's,  is analyzed with a panorama X-ray in this undated handout. A painstaking two-year investigation to determine which of two skulls belonged to Friedrich Schiller has found neither is a match, prolonging a 180-year-old mystery over the celebrated German poet's remains. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Schiller's remains had been interred in a mausoleum in Weimar's Jacobs cemetery that the state kept for distinguished citizens. But the remains were mixed with others, and when a total of 23 skulls were found, the city's mayor, Carl Leberecht Schwabe — a Schiller fan — declared the biggest must have been Schiller's.

    A skeleton believed to match the skull was then put together with it, and both were buried in 1827 in the city's Fuerstengruft cemetery. Germany's most revered writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — who was Schiller's friend — was buried in a crypt alongside him in 1832, and today the site is visited by some 60,000 people per year.

    But following two years of painstaking DNA research, experts have determined none of the remains billed as those of Schiller belong to the German writer, who died in Weimar in 1805, Germany's MDR television reported. The study, dubbed "The Friedrich Schiller Code," was undertaken by the television station, the Foundation of Weimar Classics and an international team of scientists.

    "Two years ago I was certain that we would prove that it was him; now we have proved the opposite," said foundation president Hellmut Seemann, whose organization oversees the Schiller archives and exhibitions. He spoke on an MDR documentary about the study that was broadcast Saturday night, before of the official release of the results on Monday.

    "But the most important thing is, and I said it at the time: We should have no fear of wanting to know what we can about the Schiller remains," he added. "And I am now happy that it is a clear result."

    Seemann said he thinks the remains must still be in the original Jacobs cemetery — but added that his organization would not be taking part in any new search for them.

    (Agencies)