Bratislavský škrtič | Bratislavské potulky

Bratislava has not only its famous history, but also chapters that are dark and unpleasant. One of them is the case of Štefan Pantl, known as the "Bratislava strangler". His name was forever recorded in the city's criminal chronicle and still evokes a chilling feeling.

Pantl seemed like a completely ordinary person on the outside - he worked, was married and had a small child.
It was this ordinariness that was shocking when his crimes came to light. No one would say that behind the mask of a family man hides a thug who has become the terror of the city.

In 1979 Bratislava was shaken by the news of a brutal attack on two young women, Oľga and Vlasta. Pantl recognized them in society, invited them to his apartment, and the situation turned into a tragedy.

The police found the bodies in a condition that left no one in doubt that this was one of the most terrible crimes of Czechoslovakia at the time.

For the people of Bratislava, it became a symbol of the evil that can lurk behind the door of a neighbor's apartment.
His trial became an event that attracted the attention of the media and the public, although the regime tried not to spread the whole case too openly. Even so, people talked about the "stranger" in trams, at workplaces and at home during dinner.

The trial was quick and the verdict was clear. Štefan Pantl was sentenced to death.

Pantlo's story also reveals the social picture of the late 1970s – a time when violence against women was often kept silent, when crimes became the subject of whispers, and when even an ordinary person was able to commit acts that had no parallel.

On the tour of Bratislava Wanderings, we will take you to places connected to this case.
We will show the places where Pantl and his victims moved, we will zoom in on how the investigation and the judiciary worked in the times of socialism, and we will look at the wider context of punishments and perceptions of crime in this era.

"The Bratislava Strangler" is thus not only the story of one perpetrator, but also a picture of a society that had to come to terms with a cruel reality.

We could end here, but do you remember the line from the opening that described him as an ordinary person with a wife and a small child?
His child has grown up.
On the night of January 3-4, 2024, Štefan Pantl's son murdered his girlfriend on Prievozská street...

Bratislavské potulky will give you a glimpse into history, which is painful but important, so that we remember it and be able to understand that even behind the walls of well-known streets, stories are taking place that change the history of the city.

The tour is not suitable. for people under 15 years of age.

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Meeting place: Kačacia fountain - Šafárikovo námestie, Bratislava
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Online tickets: https://tootoot.fm/sk/events/68c1cc8dc808d0eab57d0a47

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Entrance fee: €6 / person; Group for 5 persons: €25
Discounts for seniors are not applicable to the entrance fee.

Peter Fiala,
guide of Bratislava Wanderings
and member of the Association of Bratislava Guides, will guide you through the dark past, places and photos.