Johann Kastenberger
Encyclopedia
Johann Kastenberger was an Austria
n marathon
runner, bank robber and murderer. He infamously committed his crimes while wearing a Ronald Reagan
mask
, earning him the nickname "Shotgun Ronnie." Kastenberger's criminal life was the basis for the 2010 film The Robber
.
branch in Pressbaum
, making off with 70,000 Austrian schilling
s (~€5,000). Shortly thereafter, police arrested Kastenberger on a train at Wien Westbahnhof based on descriptions given to police by the bank's employees. He served a seven-year prison
sentence for the robbery. Upon release, he moved in with his girlfriend in Vienna
's Simmering
district.
On August 13, 1985, Kastenberger stormed the Raiffeisen Bank in Hafnerbach
, but had to flee without having taken any money. The police suspected Kastenberger immediately, but his girlfriend gave him a false alibi. On November 20, 1987 he robbed the Raiffeisen Bank in Haunoldstein
, making off with 88,000 shillings (~€6,400). On February 19, 1988, he hit three banks in succession, making off with a combined total of more than 1.8 million schillings (~€133,000). His greatest take was on March 21, 1988, at a Länderbank in Vienna, where he captured two million shillings (~€145,000). The next two days he robbed two more Viennese banks, netting one million schillings for each.
Kastenberger committed all of these crimes wielding a shotgun and wearing a Ronald Reagan mask, earning him the nickname
Shotgun Ronnie.
with whom he had been annoyed during a vocational training course.
Additionally, Kastenberger is regarded the prime suspect of three other murders:
es containing almost 5.5 million shillings (~€400,000). Two days later, during his confession proceedings, Kastenberger jumped out the window on the first floor, landed on the hood of a parked car and escaped.
The next day he tried to steal a woman's car in Gaaden
, but fled when a police patrol drove by. The next day, he overpowered a man in Maria Enzersdorf
, bound him and stole his car. The man freed himself and alerted police who discovered the stolen vehicle on the motorway shortly thereafter. Kastenberger noticed the police, pulled over to the guardrail, then ran through the woods and stole another vehicle in Waasen, with which he escaped via the West Highway. Just before Sankt Pölten, he broke through a roadblock and was shot in the back. Before Kastenberger could be aprehended by police, he took his own life with a gunshot to the head.
The pursuit of Johann Kastenberger was the largest investigation in Austria's post-war history, involving more than 450 officers.
In 2009, director Benjamin Heisenberg dramatized Kastenberger's career as a runner and bank robber in his film The Robber
, with Andreas Lust in the title role, based on Martin Prinz's 2002 novel of the same name. The film premiered in February 2010 at the 60th Berlin Film Festival.
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...
n marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
runner, bank robber and murderer. He infamously committed his crimes while wearing a Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
mask
Mask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
, earning him the nickname "Shotgun Ronnie." Kastenberger's criminal life was the basis for the 2010 film The Robber
The Robber
The Robber is a 2010 drama film directed by Benjamin Heisenberg. The film is based on a novel by the Austrian author Martin Prinz, and was shot on location in Vienna. The main character, Johann Rettenberger, is based on Austrian bank-robber and runner Johann Kastenberger...
.
Bank robberies
On January 25, 1977, Kastenberger robbed a VolksbankVolksbank
Volksbank was founded in 1850 and is a retail bank in Central Europe based in Vienna, Austria. It currently operates in Austria, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.There are also 1,156 independent local...
branch in Pressbaum
Pressbaum
Pressbaum is a small town in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria.Since 1964 it has enjoyed the status of a market town ....
, making off with 70,000 Austrian schilling
Austrian schilling
The schilling was the currency of Austria from 1924 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1999, and the circulating currency until 2002. The euro was introduced at a fixed parity of €1 = 13.7603 schilling to replace it...
s (~€5,000). Shortly thereafter, police arrested Kastenberger on a train at Wien Westbahnhof based on descriptions given to police by the bank's employees. He served a seven-year prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
sentence for the robbery. Upon release, he moved in with his girlfriend in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
's Simmering
Simmering (Vienna)
Simmering is the 11th district of Vienna, Austria . It borders the Danube and was established as a district in 1892. Simmering has several churches, some museums, schools, old castles, and many cemeteries.- History :...
district.
On August 13, 1985, Kastenberger stormed the Raiffeisen Bank in Hafnerbach
Hafnerbach
Hafnerbach is a town in the district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, but had to flee without having taken any money. The police suspected Kastenberger immediately, but his girlfriend gave him a false alibi. On November 20, 1987 he robbed the Raiffeisen Bank in Haunoldstein
Haunoldstein
Haunoldstein is a town in the district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, making off with 88,000 shillings (~€6,400). On February 19, 1988, he hit three banks in succession, making off with a combined total of more than 1.8 million schillings (~€133,000). His greatest take was on March 21, 1988, at a Länderbank in Vienna, where he captured two million shillings (~€145,000). The next two days he robbed two more Viennese banks, netting one million schillings for each.
Kastenberger committed all of these crimes wielding a shotgun and wearing a Ronald Reagan mask, earning him the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Shotgun Ronnie.
Murders
On August 13, 1985, the same day he committed his first bank robbery after being released from prison, Kastenberger shot and killed Ewald Pollhammer, a 28-year-old man from Upper AustriaUpper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
with whom he had been annoyed during a vocational training course.
Additionally, Kastenberger is regarded the prime suspect of three other murders:
- Kastenberger is suspected of having robbed a gas station in PurkersdorfPurkersdorfPurkersdorf is a municipality in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria. The Sandstein-Wienerwald natural park, a part of the Vienna Woods, is situated on its territory....
on May 26, 1984, shooting and killing 51-year-old station attendant Helene Bubendorfer with an assault rifleAssault rifleAn assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
. - Kastenberger is suspected of using an assault rifle to kill officer Friedrich Roger in front of a police stationPolice stationA police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
in Vienna on July 25, 1986. - Kastenberger is suspected of using a stolen government service weapon to kill Brigitte Hranka, who worked as a prostitute.
Arrest, flight and death
On November 11, 1988, Kastenberger was arrested and convicted of all deeds, after which he made a confession. In his apartment, investigators found two keys for safe deposit boxSafe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
es containing almost 5.5 million shillings (~€400,000). Two days later, during his confession proceedings, Kastenberger jumped out the window on the first floor, landed on the hood of a parked car and escaped.
The next day he tried to steal a woman's car in Gaaden
Gaaden
Gaaden is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, but fled when a police patrol drove by. The next day, he overpowered a man in Maria Enzersdorf
Maria Enzersdorf
Maria Enzersdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. In addition, there are many castles and ruins in the forest surrounding Maria Enzersdorf...
, bound him and stole his car. The man freed himself and alerted police who discovered the stolen vehicle on the motorway shortly thereafter. Kastenberger noticed the police, pulled over to the guardrail, then ran through the woods and stole another vehicle in Waasen, with which he escaped via the West Highway. Just before Sankt Pölten, he broke through a roadblock and was shot in the back. Before Kastenberger could be aprehended by police, he took his own life with a gunshot to the head.
The pursuit of Johann Kastenberger was the largest investigation in Austria's post-war history, involving more than 450 officers.
Other
Kastenberger was a successful marathon runner. In the 1980s he won several national races in Austria and in 1988 became the record holder of Kainach Mountain Marathon with a time of 3:16:07.In 2009, director Benjamin Heisenberg dramatized Kastenberger's career as a runner and bank robber in his film The Robber
The Robber
The Robber is a 2010 drama film directed by Benjamin Heisenberg. The film is based on a novel by the Austrian author Martin Prinz, and was shot on location in Vienna. The main character, Johann Rettenberger, is based on Austrian bank-robber and runner Johann Kastenberger...
, with Andreas Lust in the title role, based on Martin Prinz's 2002 novel of the same name. The film premiered in February 2010 at the 60th Berlin Film Festival.