Sylvestre Matuschka
Encyclopedia
Szilveszter Matuska was a Hungarian mass murderer and mechanical engineer who made two successful and at least two unsuccessful attempts to derail passenger trains in Hungary
, Germany
and Austria
in 1930 and 1931.
Matuska's first successful crime was the derailment of the Berlin-Basel express train south of Berlin on August 8, 1931. Scores of people were injured, but there were no deaths. Because of the discovery of a defaced Nazi newspaper at the scene of the crime, among other things, the attack was believed to have been politically motivated. A bounty of 100,000 reichsmark was put on the perpetrator.
Matuska's second and more notorious successful crime was the derailment of the Vienna Express headed towards Vienna as it was crossing the Biatorbágy
bridge near Budapest
at 12.20am on 13 September 1931. 22 people died and 120 others were injured, 17 of them severely.
Matuska carried out his crime by blowing up a portion of the bridge, causing the engine and nine of the eleven coaches forming the train to plunge into a ravine 30 meters deep. Matuska was discovered at the scene of the crime but, having passed himself off as a surviving passenger, he was released. Investigators in the three countries were on his trail, however, and he was arrested in Vienna one month later, on 10 October 1931, whereupon he soon confessed.
Matuska was tried and convicted in Austria for two unsuccessful attempts. He was later extradited to Hungary on condition that he not be executed. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment as agreed with Austria.
Matuska reportedly escaped from jail in Vác
in 1944. According to some reports, he served as an explosives expert during the latter stages of World War II
; he was never recaptured and his fate is unknown. Rumours have circulated that he appeared on the communist side in the Korean War
, but there is no evidence to support this.
Matuska's motives remain unclear. His first attack was initially thought to have been politically motivated. At his trial, Matuska claimed to have been ordered to derail the express by God. Matuska has also been quoted as explaining his crimes by saying: "I wrecked trains because I like to see people die. I like to hear them scream." It was reported that he achieved orgasm
while watching the trains he had sabotaged crash.
In 1990 Matuska became the subject of a song, Sylvestre Matuschka, by the band Lard
. A Hungarian/German TV film titled Viadukt was made in 1983 which was based on this case.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1930 and 1931.
Crimes
Matuska made at least two failed attempts to derail trains in Austria in December 1930 and January 1931.Matuska's first successful crime was the derailment of the Berlin-Basel express train south of Berlin on August 8, 1931. Scores of people were injured, but there were no deaths. Because of the discovery of a defaced Nazi newspaper at the scene of the crime, among other things, the attack was believed to have been politically motivated. A bounty of 100,000 reichsmark was put on the perpetrator.
Matuska's second and more notorious successful crime was the derailment of the Vienna Express headed towards Vienna as it was crossing the Biatorbágy
Biatorbágy
Biatorbágy is a town in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It has a population of 10,720 .On 13 September 1931 a demented man blasted the train to Vienna on the viaduct of Biatorbágy. Prime minister Gyula Károlyi inducted martial law, and executed two illegal communist...
bridge near Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
at 12.20am on 13 September 1931. 22 people died and 120 others were injured, 17 of them severely.
Matuska carried out his crime by blowing up a portion of the bridge, causing the engine and nine of the eleven coaches forming the train to plunge into a ravine 30 meters deep. Matuska was discovered at the scene of the crime but, having passed himself off as a surviving passenger, he was released. Investigators in the three countries were on his trail, however, and he was arrested in Vienna one month later, on 10 October 1931, whereupon he soon confessed.
Matuska was tried and convicted in Austria for two unsuccessful attempts. He was later extradited to Hungary on condition that he not be executed. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment as agreed with Austria.
Matuska reportedly escaped from jail in Vác
Vác
Vác is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spellings of the name are Vacz and Vacs.-Location:...
in 1944. According to some reports, he served as an explosives expert during the latter stages of 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...
; he was never recaptured and his fate is unknown. Rumours have circulated that he appeared on the communist side in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, but there is no evidence to support this.
Matuska's motives remain unclear. His first attack was initially thought to have been politically motivated. At his trial, Matuska claimed to have been ordered to derail the express by God. Matuska has also been quoted as explaining his crimes by saying: "I wrecked trains because I like to see people die. I like to hear them scream." It was reported that he achieved orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
while watching the trains he had sabotaged crash.
In 1990 Matuska became the subject of a song, Sylvestre Matuschka, by the band Lard
Lard (band)
Lard is a hardcore punk/industrial band founded in 1988 as a side project by Jello Biafra , Al Jourgensen , Paul Barker , and Jeff Ward . Biafra is perhaps best known as the former frontman of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
. A Hungarian/German TV film titled Viadukt was made in 1983 which was based on this case.
External links
- Biographie: Sylvestre Matuschka (In French)