Cologne School Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Cologne school massacre occurred in a Catholic elementary school located at Volkhovener Weg 209 in the suburb of Volkhoven in Cologne, Germany on June 11, 1964. Walter Seifert, born on June 11, 1922, killed eight students and two teachers.
Seifert reportedly fell apart when his wife died in childbirth in 1961; his tuberculosis
worsened and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia
. He felt he was being treated unfairly by the government which he claimed was cheating him out of his war pension for his service in the Wehrmacht
during World War II
.
On June 11, the day of his 42nd birthday, Seifert took a self-made flamethrower, lance and mace and entered the schoolyard. After blocking off the main gate with a wooden wedge, he proceeded to kill eight students and two teachers and injure twenty two others, mostly students. He smashed in the windows of the buildings and pointed his flamethrower in the classrooms, setting the classroom on fire, effectively killing nine people. He was then confronted by a teacher, Ursula Kuhr, 24, whom he stabbed with the lance.
After he left the schoolyard, he swallowed a poisonous insecticide E605 in hopes of committing suicide
before police could catch him. He was soon apprehended by police, but died in the hospital the next day from the poison.
Students:
Seifert reportedly fell apart when his wife died in childbirth in 1961; his tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
worsened and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. He felt he was being treated unfairly by the government which he claimed was cheating him out of his war pension for his service in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On June 11, the day of his 42nd birthday, Seifert took a self-made flamethrower, lance and mace and entered the schoolyard. After blocking off the main gate with a wooden wedge, he proceeded to kill eight students and two teachers and injure twenty two others, mostly students. He smashed in the windows of the buildings and pointed his flamethrower in the classrooms, setting the classroom on fire, effectively killing nine people. He was then confronted by a teacher, Ursula Kuhr, 24, whom he stabbed with the lance.
After he left the schoolyard, he swallowed a poisonous insecticide E605 in hopes of committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
before police could catch him. He was soon apprehended by police, but died in the hospital the next day from the poison.
Victims
Teachers:- Gertrud Bollenrath, aged 62
- Ursula Kuhr, aged 24
Students:
- Dorothea Binner
- Renate Fühlen
- Ingeborg Hahn
- Ruth Hoffmann
- Klara Kröger
- Stephan Lischka
- Karin Reinhold
- Rosel Röhrig
See also
- Bremen school shootingBremen school shootingThe Bremen school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on June 20, 1913 at St. Mary's Catholic School in Walle, a quarter of Bremen, Germany...
- Eppstein school shootingEppstein school shootingThe Eppstein school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on June 3, 1983, at the Freiherr-vom-Stein Gesamtschule in Eppstein-Vockenhausen, Germany. The gunman, 34-year-old Czech refugee Karel Charva, fatally shot three students, a teacher and a police officer and injured another 14 people...
- Erfurt massacreErfurt massacreThe Erfurt massacre was a school massacre that occurred on April 26, 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany. The gunman, 19-year-old expelled student Robert Steinhäuser, shot and killed sixteen people; comprising 13 faculty members, 2 students, and one police officer, before committing...
- Winnenden school shootingWinnenden school shootingThe Winnenden school shooting occurred on the morning of 11 March 2009 at a secondary school in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen. The shooting spree resulted in 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator,...
- Emsdetten school shootingEmsdetten school shootingOn 20 November 2006, at about 9:30 AM local time, an 18 year old former student born 29 April 1988 graduate of 2005, entered the Geschwister Scholl School , firing several shots and setting off smoke grenades. He shot the school janitor and four students and wounded a teacher by throwing a smoke...
- Ansbach school attackAnsbach school attackThe Ansbach school attack occurred on 17 September 2009, at the Carolinum Gynmasium in Ansbach, Germany. The attacker Georg R., a 19-year-old man whom the BBC reports as a former student, entered the school that morning armed with petrol bombs and an axe....
External links
- Ursula Kuhr Schule Page on the massacre (In German, with pictures)
- Wie lebende Fackeln stürzten Kinder ins Freie, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 12, 1964) - Noch fünfzehn Kinder mit schweren Verbrennungen im Krankenhaus, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 12, 1964) - Von Behörden als Querulant abgewiesen, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 12, 1964) - Noch 10 Kinder in Lebensgefahr, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 13, 1964) - Ein Kind in Köln heute früh seinen furchtbaren Verletzungen erlegen, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 15, 1964) - Noch ernste Sorge um 16 Kinder, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 16, 1964) - Drei Kinder ringen mit dem Tode, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 18, 1964) - Das 7. Todesopfer in Köln, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 19, 1964) - Für drei Kinder haben die Ärzte keine Hoffnung mehr, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 22, 1964) - Lebensgefahr nicht gebannt, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 27, 1964) - Das 10. Opfer in Volkhoven, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(June 30, 1964) - 550000 DM für die Opfer von Volkhoven, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(July 17, 1964) - Großzügige Hilfe für die Opfer von Volkhoven, Hamburger AbendblattHamburger AbendblattThe Hamburger Abendblatt is a daily newspaper in Hamburg, Germany, published by Axel Springer AG. The paper used to appear Monday through Saturday only, but since 29 October 2006 it has also published a Sunday edition to compete with the Hamburger Morgenpost's introduction of a Sunday edition...
(July 25, 1964)