Hauptmann von Köpenick affair

E637960

The Hauptmann von Köpenick affair was a 1906 incident in which an impostor dressed as a Prussian army officer seized control of the town hall in Köpenick and stole the city treasury, famously exposing the blind obedience to military authority in the German Empire.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf confidence trick
criminal incident
historical event
alsoKnownAs Affäre Hauptmann von Köpenick NERFINISHED
Captain of Köpenick affair NERFINISHED
amountStolen about 4000 marks
chronology occurred before World War I
country German Empire
date 1906-10-16
describedAs Hauptmann von Köpenick NERFINISHED
exposed authoritarian nature of Prussian militarism
blind obedience to military authority in the German Empire
genreOfReception satire
hasAftermath international publicity
public embarrassment for Prussian authorities
widespread press coverage in Germany
hasCulturalImpact became a popular satirical symbol in German culture
term "Hauptmann von Köpenick" used as synonym for audacious impostor NERFINISHED
hasLegacy frequently referenced in discussions of German militarism
tourist interest in Köpenick related to the event
hasMainProtagonist Wilhelm Voigt NERFINISHED
hasTheme abuse of authority
critique of militarism
power of uniforms and rank
inspiredWork Der Hauptmann von Köpenick (1931 film) NERFINISHED
Der Hauptmann von Köpenick (1956 film) NERFINISHED
Der Hauptmann von Köpenick (play) NERFINISHED
various stage and film adaptations
involvedImpersonationOf Hauptmann (captain) of the Prussian army NERFINISHED
Prussian army officer
laterDevelopment pardon of Wilhelm Voigt by Kaiser Wilhelm II
legalConsequenceForPerpetrator arrest of Wilhelm Voigt
imprisonment of Wilhelm Voigt
location Berlin NERFINISHED
Köpenick NERFINISHED
mediaCoverage extensively reported in newspapers of the time
notableFor being carried out without real military authority
demonstrating unquestioning obedience of soldiers to uniform
its satirical and political interpretations
partOf history of Berlin
history of the German Empire
perpetrator Wilhelm Voigt NERFINISHED
resultedIn seizure of Köpenick town hall
theft of city treasury of Köpenick
target Köpenick town hall NERFINISHED
year 1906

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Köpenick hasHistoricalEvent Hauptmann von Köpenick affair