If you want to listen to the best true crime podcasts in German in 2023, you shouldn’t miss these tips. True crime shows have been one of the most popular audio formats since podcasts have been around! The fascination with crime has given rise to a gigantic, ever-growing business sector.
From classic crime fiction to “Tatort” – the longest-running crime series in the German-speaking world since 1970 – to the popular Hollywood, Netflix and Amazon blockbusters, all of which deal with the depths of the human soul.
It goes without saying that there are now also a large number of podcasts with crime stories. We at OPOLUM Escape Room Hamburg have put together the top 7 true crime podcasts for you here.
What does true crime mean?
The best true crime podcasts tell the stories of real crimes that often surpass the wildest fantasies of crime writers. The term “true crime” became established with the novel “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote in the mid-sixties of the last century, which ranks second on the list of the world’s best-selling true crime books.
The book “Helter Skelter” by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, which deals with the murders committed by the Charles Manson sect, is in first place. Thanks to the spread of smartphones, true crime podcasts have now secured an audience of millions. For example, the English-language true crime podcast “Serial” has over 50 million (!!!) subscribers!
The 7 best true crime podcasts of 2023
1. time crime
The renowned German weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” has developed one of the best true crime podcasts. It is hosted by Sabine Rückert from the editorial team, who has followed countless criminal trials herself and written several award-winning reports about them.
In her podcast, she regularly talks to Andreas Sentker, head of the Zeit science department, about the most spectacular cases. The individual episodes appear every 14 days and usually last around an hour. However, there are also some much shorter and some longer contributions.
2. murder on ex
The two journalists Linn Schütze and Leonie Bartsch have been running the true crime podcast Mord auf ex every Monday since November 2019. Over 150 episodes have already been published and sometimes cases are also presented live in front of an audience.
“The Neighbors” is the current title, which went on air on March 17, 2023. This case is about the murder of real estate agent Klaus Toll and his wife Petra on the night of April 17, 2009 in Babenhausen near Darmstadt.
The couple were shot dead and their mentally handicapped daughter was critically injured. In a circumstantial trial, the neighbor Andreas Darsow was sentenced to life imprisonment. As he denies the crime to this day and the evidence cast considerable doubt on his guilt, the Monte Christo citizens’ initiative was founded in 2011 to fight for a retrial. Linn and Leo reopen the case and present new, interesting and previously unnoticed details about this ominous criminal case.
3 Weird Crimes
Charlotte Mellahn, who performs as a presenter and actress under the stage name “Visa Vie”, has launched the true crime podcast Weird Crimes with radio journalist and comedian Ines Anioli and has already produced 38 episodes by the beginning of 2023.
Visa Vie tells of the weirdest and most unbelievable criminal cases and Ines Anioli comments on these stories of very real madness in an extremely pointed manner. New episodes, usually around 90 minutes long, currently appear every second Thursday. The two ladies also regularly appear in front of a live audience with their most curious cases.
Her live performance from January 5, 2023 in Munich, from a South Sea dream that turned into a nightmare, is absolutely worth listening to! But feel free to skip the first 8 minutes.
4. lust for murder
In their podcasts, the two journalists Paulina Krasa and Laura Wohlers each cover two real criminal cases that took place in Germany. They also comment on the criminal and psychological aspects of the individual crimes, sometimes with the support of lawyers or profilers.
In their current contribution, they deal with the spectacular case of the murder of Danish journalist Kim Wall on the submarine of a severely disturbed inventor. Their contributions also usually last around one and a half hours.
5th True Crime: True Crime Podcast
Since 2018, a Berliner who only reveals his first name, Alex, has been reporting on true crimes from all over the world. His now impressive number of exciting programs usually last less than an hour and appear at irregular intervals.
The individual cases range from sophisticated to brutal to paranormal – there really is the perfect podcast for everyone!
6. file number XY: unforgotten crimes
In 1967, journalist Eduard Zimmermann had the idea of catching criminals with the help of the television audience and launched the TV format “Aktenzeichen XY ungelöst“. The show is still produced once a month by ZDF today, making it one of the oldest television programs in Germany.
It is currently hosted by Rudi Cerne, who, together with journalist Conny Neumeyer, highlights the most spectacular solved and unsolved cases of the last 55 years in a podcast that appears every 14 days. The podcasts last between 40 and 60 minutes on average.
7. crime from next door: true crime from the neighborhood
Every other Monday, radio journalist Philipp Fleiter talks to different guests about the worst crimes and most spectacular criminal cases of recent years. The reports last around 90 minutes on average.
He likes to deal with events that have taken place in a supposedly small-town idyll rather than in the already dreaded urban jungle. He is now also touring Germany with his most exciting cases.
In his latest case , “The Hunt for the Crypto Queen”, Philipp chats to the aforementioned Lotti, who goes by the stage name “Visa Vie”, about the world’s most wanted fraudster. Ruja Ignatova was born into a Bulgarian Roma family in 1980 and emigrated to Germany in 1990. After studying law, Ruja began her brilliant criminal career in 2010.
Following convictions for fraud and fraudulent concealment of bankruptcy, she invented the cryptocurrency “One Coin”, which she used to set up a gigantic Ponzi scheme and defraud her investors of more than 4 billion dollars. She has been in hiding since 2017 and has been on the FBI’s list of the 10 most wanted criminals since 2022.
Conclusion: Solving (true) crimes in OPOLUM
If you are inspired by the many exciting and unbelievable cases in the true crime podcasts and feel like solving a criminal case yourself, you should simply grab 3 of your best friends and head to what is probably the most famous escape room in Germany – the legendary Escape Room Hamburg by OPOLUM. Exciting crime stories are waiting to be solved by amateur detectives with razor-sharp deductive skills. An unforgettable experience guaranteed!
