Girl in the Cellar (24 page)

So life is exciting, rich and new for Natascha. Can it ever, though, be normal? Dirk Depover, father of one of Marc Dutroux's victims, who co-founded the Child Focus charity in Belgium, seeking to protect small children from the likes of this world's Priklopils, says that can only be achieved through anonymity—and that is certainly an alien path for Natascha Kampusch.

As portraits of Natascha go, the one offered up by
Kronen Zeitung
's Marga Swoboda, encapsulates the
strengths and strangeness of this most extraordinary of young women, highlighting her need to control along with her quest for a normality which seems elusive. It was composed as Frau Swoboda interviewed her.

But matters fiscal and legal are taking precedence over education. She is determined, for instance, to have the house at Heinestrasse, where she grew up, to ensure that ‘people won't make a museum out of it where ashtrays and coffee cups are sold'.

She said that she might let Priklopil's mother live there. At the time of writing she hadn't met with her, but hopes to soon.

That Natascha wants to stop the house from falling into the hands of a third party and become a ‘Disneyland of Horror' is understandable. Less so is the rumour that she might want to hang on to it even if Frau Priklopil wants nothing to do with it.

The girl in the cellar wants her dungeon back. Perhaps, after all that has happened to her, it is the one place where she feels truly safe.

 

We hope this book has shown, thanks to the plethora of sources we have drawn on and the experts who have helped us, that the relationship between them was highly complex. That was key to her survival. However, we hope we have also made the case for Natascha to reveal, at least to the relevant experts, the full details of the relationship. She does not deserve to be the target of the sort of nasty hate mail campaign triggered by what is interpreted as her protection of Priklopil's reputation.

The authors would argue that there is no obligation to protect a monster, no matter how much of a human side she got to see, just because speaking out might hurt his elderly mother's feelings. For the medical profession alone, a detailed accounting of the mores and desires of her captor would be a massive bonus. Stored on a computer file, logged with police headquarters across Europe, such data might be effective the next time another child-hunter surfaces to make all our worst nightmares true. In fighting monsters it is necessary to know them.

Natascha grew up in that cellar but, as the medical experts themselves have testified, she remains in many ways the ten-year-old girl who went into it. The urge to control the way the media handle her story, which is becoming an obsession, indicates a fear of the same lack of control that she had on the day she was taken.

It is the hope of the world, and certainly of the authors, that Natascha Kampusch achieves everything she wants to in a life where experience has been replaced with a yawning chasm. The hope of everyone is that Natascha fills that chasm with love and friendship.

There is no disputing her intelligence, her kindliness—she doesn't want to own a pet because she thinks all creatures should have a freedom denied to her during her formative years—her quick-wittedness, capacity to think of others and innate decency. Natascha Kampusch could have emerged from that cellar and that house as something less than human: instead, she came out as something almost superhuman, able to think of the feelings of
her captor's mother at the same time as her gaoler's treatment continues to scorch her soul. That the world, its lunatics and leeches aside, was moved in these climactic times of famine, war, terrorism and death to write to her offering succour is testament to the enormous emotional power her ordeal, and her triumph over it, generated.

The Kampusch story is different from other endeavours of escape, of good triumphing over evil, for two reasons. First, there is the enormous length of time she was held by Priklopil, longer than the male adult captives were held by Islamic militants in Beirut during the 1980s—the only contemporary hostage drama that in terms of media coverage is comparable to Natascha's imprisonment. Secondly, she was a little girl who grew up in captivity. This overwhelming sense of innocence lost in that cellar and that house both numbs the world and stimulates it into an act of collective sorrow—that it ever happened—and joy—that it ended as it did.

If at times we have questioned Natascha's version of what happened inside No. 60 Heinestrasse, we have never questioned her courage or fortitude in surviving it. Lesser souls would have been broken, mentally and physically, by what happened to her.

Natascha's enduring legacy to the world will be to make monsters beware of what they wish for. She is testament to the durability of the human spirit—its capacity never to surrender, but to triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds.

She made a pact with herself when she was twelve that
she would free herself. Now she must hold fast to that pledge as true freedom, with its attendant daily anxieties, stresses, chores and worries—amplified for her because of the past—presents this extraordinary woman with her next formidable challenge.

Note: Entries in this index, carried over verbatim from the print edition of this title, are unlikely to correspond to the pagination of any given e-book reader. However, entries in this index, and other terms, may be easily located by using the search feature of your e-book reader.

‘NK' indicates Natascha Kampusch;
‘WP' indicates Wolfgang Priklopil.

Adolfo, Franco 13

Ahlers, Christoph Joseph 178–9

AKH
see
Vienna General Hospital

Aktenzeichen XY Ungeloest
(‘Cases XY Unsolved') (television programme) 147

Alsergrund district, Vienna 131

Alt Wien kindgarten, Leopoldauerplatz 77, Vienna 8–11, 85, 130, 179, 235

Arendt, Hannah 51

attachment 42, 96, 105, 186, 255

Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland 185

Austrian Home Office 144

Austrian police 129–61

Frau Sirny reports NK missing 85, 130–31

Frau Sirny's
Woman
interview 91–3

deeply flawed hunt for NK 129, 130, 161

high-profiled search 129–30

white van witness 132, 133, 134, 139

Interpol informed 133

WP questioned 133–5, 139

fruitless leads 137, 157

search upgraded 137

search downsized 87, 137

hoax ransom bid 138–9

Poechhacker's complaint 144–5

strategy changed to detailed, smaller swoops 147

VICLAS computer system 148–9, 161

and the paranormal 149–51, 154–5

lack of profiling 152–3

statement after one year 153

and paedophiles 153–4

NK case becomes a ‘cold case' 156

Edelbacher's comments 160–61

NK is taken to local police station 22–3, 195–7, 204–5

ensuing massive police operation 197

police chase WP 198–200

NK blames for not preventing WP's suicide 209

police interrogation of Natascha nearing an end 252

Austrian Press Agency (APA) 130

 

Bartsch, Erika 16, 17–18

Bartsch, Hannes 13

Bartsch, Martin 15–16

Bartsch family 16

Baumarkt DIY store 167

Beirut: Islamic militants' male adult captives (1980s) 262

Bejerot, Nils 105

Beranek, Christine 86

Berger, Professor Ernst 184, 187, 210–211, 216, 227–9

co-ordinates NK's socio-psychiatric team 118

on NK's attitude to the media 118–19

on NK's torture 119

on NK's relationship with WP 119, 208

criticism of the police 160

and WP's suicide 209

on NK's future plans 227–8

and the WP house 228–9

warns of possible delayed effects on NK 252–3

Berlin 227

Beuchert, Herbert 129–30

bin Laden, Osama 214

Bischofberger, Conny 240–41

BKA
see
Bundeskriminalamt

Black, Roy 13

Bobek, Susanne 240–41

Boehm, Gabriele 89

Borderline Personality Disorder 96

Brainin, Elisabeth 56

Brioschiweg Volksschule, Vienna 8, 10, 57, 72, 75, 76–7, 85, 89, 90–91, 130

Broneder, Susanne 90

Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) (Federal Criminal Police Office of Austria) 92, 156

Burgenland, Austria 23, 156

 

Charité clinic, Berlin 178

Chicken Grill takeaway, Strasshof 165

Child Focus charity, Belgium 258

Child Protection Centre, Vienna 185

Christine's Schnellimbiss bar, Vienna 64–6, 144, 147, 150–51, 161, 176

CID (criminal investigation squad) 156

Cindy (NK's cat; renamed Natascha/Tashy) 6, 12–13, 24–5, 234

Cobion 155–6

concentration camp inmates 184–6

Criminal Direction 1, Vienna police force 138

Criminal Intelligence Service:

Department of Investigations and Organised and General Crime 159

Criminal Investigation Office 159

Criminal Police Department 145

Croatia 148

Czech police 137

 

Danube River 137

Danube Service 137

Dardenne, Sabine 179

Depover, Dirk 258

Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna 204

Donauplex shopping mall, Vienna 199

Donauinsel 137

Donaustadt, Vienna 1–3, 130, 132

Donauzentrum shopping centre, Vienna 133, 200, 201

police station 22–3, 131, 132

Doni, Rosi 39–40

Drkosch, Hedi 59, 61

Drkosch, Peter 59–60, 61

Dutroux, Marc 42, 179, 258

 

Ecker, Dietmar 211

Ecker Partners 211

Edelbacher, Max 22–4, 144–5, 149, 160–61

Ehler, Eric 36

Ehler, Heinrich 35–6

Ehler, Hermine 36

Eichmann, Adolf ix, 51

 

Fallenbüchl, Hermann 61–2

Farthofer, Mayor Herbert 51, 249

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) 131

Quantico, Virginia labs 152

Federal Criminal Office 169

Feurstein, Christoph 229

forensic science 157

Fourniret, Michel 94, 159

Fowles, John:
The Collector
42, 125–6, 181

Frankl, Dr Viktor E. 185

Man's Search for Meaning
185

Freiberger, Stefan 60

Freud, Anna 119

Freud, Sigmund 34, 131

Freudenberger, Superintendent Sabine 125, 131, 204–5

Friedrich, Professor Max

and the alleged pornographic photographs 19, 21, 22, 207

responsible for NK's care 19, 21, 23, 207, 210–211, 216, 217

on NK's isolation torture 109

and NK's visit to the morgue 209

NK on 218, 219

warns of possible delayed effects on NK 252–3

and Elena Simakhine 255

Fuchs, Franz 46, 148

 

Gänserndorf 138, 147, 148

police station xii, 195

Ganzger, Dr Gerald 174, 231, 248, 253, 260

Geiger, Dr Ernst 135, 145, 156

Georg, Hans 168

Germany 37, 246

Girod, Hans 140–41

Glaser, Anneliese 29–30, 67, 73–5, 93, 146

Gmunden, Austria 257

Goettlicher Heiland hospital, Hernalser Hauptstrasse, Vienna 4

Graef & Stift company 36

Graz, Austria 136, 139, 170, 206

Groenemeyer, Herbert 6

Gross, Heinrich 46

Gross, Chief Inspector Helmut 148

 

Hafergut, Franz 59

Haider, Joerg 121, 152, 203, 255

Haidinger, Herwig 205

Haimeder, Colonel-Lieutenant Gerhard 138, 139, 147

Haller, Dr Reinhard 30–31, 46–8, 117, 252

Haller, Rosalinde 121, 150, 151

Harrich, Dr Guenther 211–12

Hauptschule Afritschgasse, Vienna 37–8

Heinestrasse, Strasshof an der Nordbahn, Austria 37, 51, 164

Heinestrasse (No. 60), Strasshof an der Nordbahn, Austria 64, 227, 262

inherited by WP's father 37

Priklopil family moves to 37

renovated 37

Waltraud returns to her council flat 57

the ‘dungeon' 34, 36, 45, 55–6, 63–4, 71, 81–3, 206–7, 215, 235, 259–62

neighbours 34–5, 45–6, 50, 52, 58–61, 136, 165–7, 249

WP's mother's visits 40, 50, 113–14, 116–17, 175

security system 40, 50, 71, 72, 107, 116, 136, 177

WP lives alone in 57

ventilation system 63, 71, 82, 99, 103, 116

NK arrives at 81–3

WP warns NK of booby traps 115–16

NK's escape x–xiii, 47, 168, 192–7, 221–2

NK's claims on the house 228–9, 260

Helfert, Rosemarie 61

Hintringer, Dr Wolfgang 86

Hircshstetten, Austria 121, 150

Hochkar, Austria: Natascha's one-day skiing ‘holiday' 119, 173–5, 231, 247

Hoffmann, Bettina 91

Holzapfel, Ernst 191, 209

a friend of WP from the Siemens days 62

business partnership with WP 62, 71, 115, 171, 248

and Husek 67–8

meets Natascha 62, 68, 171–3, 200, 217

questioned by police after NK's escape 62, 171

the last person to see WP alive 171, 200–202, 223–4

identifies WP after the suicide 202

Hornbach DIY chain store 127, 164, 165

Horngacher, General Roland 158–9

Hostel
(film) 258

Hungarian Jews ix, 51

Hungary

Ludwig and NK's visits 5–6, 7, 11, 14–18, 25, 28, 72–5, 146, 163, 233

Interpol look out for NK 136

Husek, Ronnie 66–8, 144, 146, 248

Huttarsch, Josefine 9–11

 

Internet xiv, 130, 153, 155, 232

Interpol 129–30, 133, 148, 158

Italian Adriatic coast 37

 

Jaderka, Wilhelm 52

Jantschek, Josef 50, 165–6

Jantschek, Leopoldine 50

Juergens, Udo 7

 

Kampusch, Natascha

birth (17 February 1988) 2

her home on a dreary Viennese estate 2–3, 8

parents break up 5, 8

personality 6, 8, 9–10, 12, 15, 17, 24, 90, 102, 118, 164, 179, 227, 240, 242, 259, 261, 262

visits Hungary with her father 5–6, 7, 11, 14–18, 25, 72–5, 146, 163

appearance 8, 15, 206, 213

interests 6–7, 24–5

symptoms of distress before the kidnap 8, 20–21, 31, 74, 83

cruel nickname 8, 18

rows with her mother 7, 10, 26, 72, 75–6, 78, 87

her school 8, 10, 57, 72, 75, 76–7, 85, 89, 90–91

and her kindergarten 8–11

arguments with her father 10, 78

home alone 11, 18, 28–9, 73, 83

her electric car 13–14, 206, 234, 235

relationship with her father 16, 17–18, 29, 85, 141–2, 235–6, 251–2

and alleged pornographic photographs 18–22, 207

alleged abuse by her mother's lover 23–4

survival skills 26–7, 30–31, 83

relationship with her mother 28, 29, 74, 83, 223

at Christine's bar 64, 68, 69

snatched from the street on her way to school x, xi, 69, 76–81, 215

relationship with WP 27, 45, 47, 81, 103–4, 117, 192, 195, 204, 205, 207, 215, 217, 220–21, 230, 232, 244–5, 260

initial impressions of her prison 82–3

spots WP's deficiencies from the onset 95, 97, 113

refuses to call WP Master 101–2, 103, 216

and Stockholm Syndrome 104, 105, 186, 204

Vienna Syndrome 105

alleged manipulation of WP xiii–xiv, 113, 122–3, 183

allowed upstairs after six months 107, 109, 113

her writings 107–8

‘intimate personal matters' 109–110, 178, 179, 182, 204, 205, 215, 217, 229, 232, 246

explains how WP earned her trust 112–13

education in captivity 115, 117, 125, 163, 169–70, 204, 237, 259

and the media 118–19, 121–2, 192, 203–7, 210, 211, 213, 214–33, 236, 237, 239, 241, 243–4, 248, 250–51, 255–6, 258, 261

food intake, lighting and air controlled by WP 119

food situation 119, 124–5, 169, 170, 174, 207, 236

trips to the outside world 119, 127, 163–8, 170–71, 173–6, 189–90, 245

escape plan, aged twelve 120, 263

health issues 123–4, 169, 174, 219, 220, 226, 241

eighteenth birthday 163

meets Holzapfel 62, 68, 171–3, 200, 217

supreme psychological strength 186–7

escapes from 60 Heinestrasse x–xiii, 22–3, 47, 168, 190–97, 216, 221–2

reunited with her father 205–6

reaction to WP's death 208–9, 216, 223–4, 225, 241

Friedrich takes on her care 210–211

legal advisers 173–5, 211–12, 216, 218–19, 231, 232, 236, 241, 243, 245, 247, 248, 250, 253, 258, 259

future plans 227–8, 250, 251

hate campaign against her xiv, 127, 231–2, 260–61

her flat 236, 239, 251, 252

possible delayed effects on her 252–3

and Elena Simakhine 253–5

and cyber crime 257–8

Swoboda's portrait of her 258–60

a testament to the durability of the human spirit 262–3

Kaprun, Austria 121

Kapsch company 54, 57

Kletzer, Kurt 41–6, 256–7

Koch, Anna (NK's paternal grandmother) 5, 226, 234, 235

Koch, Georgina (NK's stepmother) 7, 12, 207–8, 233, 234

Koch, Ludwig (NK's father) 231, 250–52, 259

master baker 3, 5, 6, 66

relationship with Brigitta 3–4, 5, 8, 11, 26

rows with Brigitta xv, 11, 12, 18, 26, 90