NATASCHA Kampusch’s remarkable story of survival, after being held captive for over eight years, continues to resonate worldwide.
Her escape and resilience in the face of unimaginable trauma raise questions about human strength and the will to reclaim one’s life—read on to discover the details of her journey.
Who is Natascha Kampusch?
Natascha Kampusch is an Austrian woman who gained international attention after escaping from a lengthy abduction.
She was kidnapped at the age of 10 in March 1998 by Wolfgang Priklopil, who held her captive for over eight years in a concealed cellar in his home in Strasshof, Austria.
Natascha was raised by her mother Brigitta Sirny and father Ludwig Koch in Vienna.
Her parents separated when Natascha was still a child and divorced after her abduction.
She had spent time with both of them, having just returned to her mother’s home from a holiday with her father the day before her kidnapping.
Natascha managed to escape on August 23, 2006, when her captor left her alone for a brief moment.
Her story captured worldwide media attention, both for the duration of her captivity and her eventual escape.
After her release, she wrote several books, including a memoir detailing her experiences and struggles in adjusting to life after captivity.
She has also spoken publicly about her ordeal, raising awareness about issues related to abduction and trauma.
How long was she held by Wolfgang Priklopil?
Natascha Kampusch was held captive by Wolfgang Priklopil for eight years and four months, a duration that inspired the title of her memoir, 3,096 Days.
She was kidnapped on March 2, 1998, and managed to escape on August 23, 2006.
During her captivity, Natascha was imprisoned in a house on the outskirts of Vienna, kept in a hidden dungeon approximately three metres below ground.
She was forced to cook and clean for Priklopil while living in a small cellar beneath his garage.
The day her life changed forever began like any normal day for a schoolchild; she headed to Brioschiweg Primary School, just as she had countless times before.
However, Wolfgang Priklopil was hiding in wait in his white Mercedes van, parked along her route.
As Natascha walked past the van, Priklopil pounced, grabbing her and dragging her inside.
Although she struggled fiercely, her attacker was physically stronger and easily overpowered her.
A 12-year-old witness reported seeing her being pulled into a white minibus by two men, though Natascha later clarified that she only encountered Priklopil.
She recounted the harrowing moments of her abduction: “I asked him if he was going to kill me or bury me in the woods, but he told me to keep quiet.
“I was wrapped in a blanket and then carried down to the basement.
“Then I was placed in the darkness, a dark room, the dungeon.
“I was in shock. It was pitch black.
“I kept on thinking that someone would come and find me, that my mum and school would be missing me.
“I was convinced the police would come and save me, like in the movies and on TV.”
The entrance to her cellar was cleverly concealed behind a cupboard, featuring a concrete door reinforced with steel.
The room had no windows and was soundproofed to muffle her screams.
Priklopil regularly starved Natascha to weaken her physically and prevent escape.
He instilled fear in her by claiming the house’s doors and windows were rigged with explosives, and he often asserted that he had a gun that he would use to kill her and the neighbours if she attempted to flee.
If she cried, he resorted to violence, further deepening her trauma.
How did Natascha Kampusch escape?
Natascha’s escape came after more than eight years of captivity and involved both careful observation and a moment of opportunity.
By that point, Wolfgang Priklopil had begun to trust her more, allowing her occasional privileges, like limited time outside the cellar and helping him with tasks around the house.
On the day of her escape, Natascha had been cleaning Priklopil’s red BMW sports car in the garden.
Priklopil received a phone call, which distracted him.
Seizing the opportunity, Natascha saw that he had stepped away and wasn’t closely watching her.
She left the vacuum cleaner running as a distraction, and when Priklopil walked away to take the call, she made a break for it.
She ran 200 metres through neighbouring gardens and a street, jumping fences, and asking passers-by to call the police, but they paid her no attention.
After running for some distance, she came across a neighbour’s house and begged for help.
The neighbour quickly called the police, and within a short time, authorities arrived, and Natascha was finally free.
Recalling the moment she tried to escape, she said: “I crept to the gate which was usually closed or blocked by heavy objects, but not on this day.
“I could hardly breathe. I felt solidified, as if my arms and legs were paralysed, jumbled images shot through me.
“Then I saw a woman in a garden house and knocked on her window and whispered ‘Please help me!’
“She asked what I was doing in her garden and then called the police.”
What happened to her kidnapper and the house?
After Natascha escaped, her kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, realised that the authorities would soon be after him.
He fled his home in Strasshof, Austria, and later that evening, he committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a train at a railway station in Vienna.
After the alleged suicide of Priklopil, two coroners who examined the case files determined that he might have been murdered.
It is claimed that Priklopil was already dead when his body was put on the railway tracks.
Natasha’s own father believes his daughter has not revealed the full story of her years in captivity or what happened on the day she finally managed to escape.
When told that they had found her captor’s decapitated body, she accused the police of killing him and demanded to be left alone with the coffin to pray for him.
As for the house where Natascha had been held captive, it became a subject of intense public interest following her escape.
The house was where Priklopil had built a concealed, soundproofed cellar to imprison her.
The cellar was hidden behind a concrete door reinforced with steel, making it nearly impossible to escape or detect.
In the years following her escape, there were debates about what should happen to the house.
Some suggested that it should be demolished due to its dark history, while others believed it should remain standing for investigative purposes.
Natascha herself eventually decided to take ownership of the house.
She felt it was important for her to claim control over the place that had symbolised her captivity, rather than leaving it as a grim tourist attraction or a symbol of tragedy.
She has said that she didn’t want the house to become a “macabre pilgrimage site.”
Although she now owns the house, she has not lived in it.
The building remains intact but is reportedly vacant, with her decision to retain it seen as part of her personal journey in processing her trauma and taking back some power from the years of control Priklopil had over her.
In 2020 she talked about her struggles with socialising after being held captive for so long.
She said:“The regular contact with fellow students was really a horror scenario for me.
“I like to stay at home on my own, waiting for the day I’m not so famous and no one will recognise me.
“Alternatively, I like to go out in stormy weather when it’s raining and I can have a big umbrella I can hide behind.”
What has Natascha Kampusch said about Madeleine McCann?
Natascha Kampusch has expressed strong support and empathy for the parents of Madeleine McCann, urging them to “never give up hope” despite the immense challenges they face.
During an interview with Good Morning Britain, Natasha encouraged Kate and Gerry McCann to stay strong.
She expressed her hope that Madeleine, who went missing in 2007 in Praia da Luz, Portugal, would one day be found.
Since her escape and re-telling her story, she has been subjected to vile abuse from online trolls and can relate to what the McCanns have endured.
“I had police protection when I was first stalked.
“During my time in captivity my mother was accused of killing me and burying me by a private detective and former family judge who wrote a book. It was horrible for her.
“She lost her child and then was accused of killing me. She was very angry about it and sued the person.”
She said that her mother had never given up hope, saying:”If you lose your child you will believe in anything to get her back.”
Natasha hopes her story and words of advice will give the couple hope that one day, they will see their daughter again.
