By Johannes Malinowski
He is one of the most famous Berliners of all time and the most famous Köpenicker anyway. Now a replacement is needed. Who will be the new captain of Köpenick?
Since the early 1990s, actor Jürgen Hilbrecht (79) has regularly slipped into the uniform of shoemaker Wilhelm Voigt (1849 – 1922), who went down in history with his imposture. At receptions, weddings and city festivals, he gave the Berlin original or represented Köpenick at trade fairs.
Hilbrecht is now retiring. The Tourist Association Treptow-Köpenick is looking for a worthy successor.
“It’s not just about someone wearing a uniform, but about someone who carries the culture further,” says Hilbrecht, who was also involved in the reconstruction of the Cöpenick City Theater in the early 1990s. Since the first appearances in the Ratskeller, the captain has developed into a popular figure. Hilbrecht not only played, he also sang in his more than 5500 performances. “With the figure we are promoting cultural tourism. That is important for the economy here.”
That’s how he is known: actor Jürgen Hilbrecht as the captain at the festival parade for the Köpenick Summer (Photo: Ralf Drescher) Photo: Ralf Drescher
In 2020, the BZ revealed his involvement with the Stasi in the 1970s. Hilbrecht apologized to all those affected
Now, as a member of the jury, he can have a say in his successor. He accepts applications tourism association at. Board member Robert Schaddach (55): “We are looking for someone who lives the role. The captain is as symbolic for our district as the town musicians are for Bremen.” Schaddach reveals: There are already a few applicants, including a woman.
What would not work? “A Swabian or Saxon dialect would be funny.” Berliners, on the other hand, are definitely welcome.
The application period ends on May 20th, then the castings will follow. At the Köpenicker Sommer (June 17-19), the new captain will then be inducted into office.
The country’s most famous imposter
On October 16, 1906, shoemaker Wilhelm Voigt (1849 – 1922) placed a troop of soldiers under his command at Plötzensee in a captain’s uniform he had made himself. With this he traveled to Köpenick. In the town hall, Voigt had the mayor Georg Langerhans (1870 – 1918) arrested. He sent the chief of police on vacation.
The “real” captain from Köpenick Wilhelm Voigt (Photo: ullstein bild)
Voigt confiscated the city treasury (3557.45 marks, around 23,000 euros today) and drove to his sister in Neukölln. Ten days later, the police caught him. He was sentenced to four years in prison. After two years, the emperor pardoned him.
