DER RÄUBER KNEISSL

In the organizer's words:

A LIFE OF ROBBERY Mathias Kneißl (1875 - 1902) grew up in the criminal milieu as a child. His parents ran an inn where robbers traded in stolen or poached goods. At the age of 17, he went on robberies with his brothers and ended up in prison for five years. Even after his release from prison, Kneißl did not give up robbery, burglary and theft. During an attempted arrest, there was an exchange of gunfire in which two gendarmes were so badly injured that they later died. This was followed by a sensational escape, during which a large police contingent searched in vain for the robber and murderer for several months. It was not until March 1901 that 150 men were able to storm his hiding place in Geisenhofen near Aufkirchen. Kneißl survived seriously injured, but was executed on February 21, 1902.

A BAVARIAN ROBIN HOOD Even during his lifetime, Mathias Kneißl was regarded as a kind of "Bavarian Robin Hood". Large sections of the population treated him with respect, as he fought against arbitrariness, hardship and oppression. It was precisely his rebellion against the authorities and state power that brought him approval and made him a folk hero who supposedly shared the spoils of his raids with the poor. Whether truth or myth, the glorification of the robber Mathias Kneißl, who led the Kingdom of Bavaria by the nose for a year, began early on. The many legends and songs made him Bavaria's "most popular" murderer.

FASCINATION TO THIS DAY Numerous books, songs and plays have contributed to the fame of the robber Mathias Kneißl. A whole series of film adaptations have also kept his memory alive, including The Robber Mathias Kneißl from 1970, directed by Reinhard Hauff, in which Hans Brenner played the title role and Martin Sperr wrote the screenplay. Marcus H. Rosenmüller's 2008 film adaptation with well-known actors such as Maximilian Brückner, Brigitte Hobmeier, Maria Furtwängler and Sigi Zimmerschied made the story popular again 100 years after the robber's death.