In this report, we’ll talk about the most brazen criminal in Berlin’s history. You ’re best off playing the Ocean’s Eleven soundtrack in the background and enjoying this absurd story. But be warned: If you find yourself drawn to the shady world of crime, you might want to check first whether you could actually break out of prison again…
The perfect crime of a man who has nothing to lose
Friedrich V. gets into trouble with the law at an early age. As a teenager, he served his first short prison sentence for theft. The following decades are marked by a cycle of thefts, forgery, and prison terms. Finally, after 15 years behind bars, an aging V. finds a regular job for the first time. He is happy. But the authorities throw a wrench in his plans. So, at age 57 and despite good behavior, he has to give up everything once again. Plagued by poverty and without any real opportunities, he hatched an incredible plan. He told his new boss and his girlfriend that he had to go abroad for a while —and disappeared.
What happened next will go down in true crime history.
Step 1: Assemble a gang
Berlin-Wedding, early afternoon. A group of soldiers is on their way back to the barracks when a military captain in a uniform that’s a bit too big stops them. In a harsh, commanding tone, he demands that the men fetch more soldiers and then follow him on a matter of the utmost importance . Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to organize a vehicle for everyone on such short notice. So, all aboard the nearest light rail!
During the drive, the captain seems to want to calm the confused soldiers. At a stop , he buys them a beer and drinks a shot himself. He even gives the soldiers money for lunch. And he reveals the reason for the spontaneous mission: they are going to arrest the mayor.
Step 2: Cause a proper commotion
Tense, the soldiers and their captain arrive on the other side of the city. Now the orders are given with military precision: You two man the city’s communication posts. At all costs, any premature communication with the outside world must be prevented. With the remaining men, he advances into the town hall.
The soldiers’ footsteps echo on the stone floor. Soldiers are stationed at every strategically important point; the squad thins out along the long corridors until only the captain and a handful of soldiers remain at the mayor’s large door. They storm into the office.
The captain has the mayor and his chief secretary locked up under guard. Then he has himself taken to the city treasury. The equivalent of €27,000 in cash is inside. In accordance with procedure, the captain has a receipt issued and confiscates the money. He signs with the name “von Mahlzahn.”
Step 3: Gather a crowd
Imagine you’re sitting comfortably by the window with a cup of coffee, watching as the military marches in lockstep to occupy City Hall. You head to City Hall Square, where a large crowd has already gathered. Something big is happening here! The mayor has been arrested and the city treasury confiscated. A few police officers are managing the crowd and taking orders from Captain von Mahlzahn, who is leading the special operation.
You see the mayor and another high-ranking official being led away and driven off.
Step 4: Disappear secretly
Finally , the captain orders his soldiers to stay in the town hall. Then he walks alone through the crowd , the town treasury under his arm. For a few minutes, nothing happens, and the crowd disperses. But you secretly follow the mysterious captain to the train station. There you see him down a beer, buy a ticket, and disappear on the next train.
(You don’t know where he’s going. But like the modern Berliner, he’s probably driven to hide somewhere in nature…)
Only later will you learn what you just saw: The con artist Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt made off with all the money from the Köpenick city treasury ! None of this is an April Fool’s joke—it really happened! Though it was quite a while ago…
True Crime in Köpenick: A Shoemaker Against the Establishment!
Ten days after his masterstroke, Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt is caught by the police and brought before the Moabit Criminal Court in Berlin-Mitte. A former cellmate had ratted him out. Although he has to go back to prison, the public loves him. Even Kaiser Wilhelm can’t help but smile at the report of the spectacular robbery and releases the “Captain of Köpenick” early from prison in 1908 after two years. Would you have done the same, or would you have preferred to let Voigt rot in jail?
During the German Empire, the case caused such a stir that it sparked a public debate about the power of the military. And abroad, people laughed at the Germans’ subservience to authority figures. The incident made Voigt world-famous and gave the man, who had struggled his entire life, a second chance.
