Josef Fritzl Is The Monster of Amstetten

When the story of Josef Fritzl broke in April of 2008, the world recoiled in horror as the full facts of the abuse suffered by Elisabeth Fritzl came to light.

Yet, as the trial continued and many more terrible aspects of the case were revealed, much of the interest had shifted to new stories. So, what exactly was it that motivated Josef Fritzl to falsely imprison his own daughter for more than two decades and subject her to a life of horror and torture we can barely comprehend? And what were the circumstances that led to her escape?

The Life of Josef Fritzl

Josef Fritzl’s life from the outside appeared relatively normal. He was born in 1935 in Austria and grew up an only child raised by his working mother, who he claims regularly beat him. Fritzl went to a HTL Technical College and obtained an electrical engineering qualification before getting a job. When he was 21, he married 17-year-old Rosemarie, and together they would have two sons and five daughters.

Publically, Fritzl’s life started to fall apart in 1967 when he was convicted of rape and served an 18-month prison sentence. However, during the investigations, experts realised that well before these events Fritzl had demonstrated he was not normal.

In 1959, after Fritzl had married and purchased a house, his mother comes to live with them. Although Fritzl claims that he has feared his mother his entire life, the power balance began to tip in his favour. Eventually, he locks his mother in the attic, bricks up the window, tells neighbours she is dead, and kept her there until her death in 1980. She may have been imprisoned as long as 20 years. It is around the time of her death that Fritzl began working on the underground prison, which he called the ‘bunker’.

When building inspectors visited Fritzl’s property in 1983, they confirm that the basement Fritzl had build does indeed match that on his plans, which includes a workshop and utility room. What the inspectors do not know is that Fritzl has actually created a much larger basement and hidden it with false walls. By the time the area is inspected, Fritzl has already started to add accessories to turn it into a prison cell for his daughter, Elisabeth.