Die Nitribitt: Ein Mord und viele Täter
The documentary investigates the murder of 24-year-old Rosemarie Nitribitt, found strangled in her luxury apartment in Frankfurt on 1 November 1957. Nitribitt worked as an exclusive prostitute whose clientele included prominent businessmen, politicians and other public figures in post-war West Germany.
Produced by HR/ARD, the film explores the many theories about who was behind the killing and why the case was never solved. The title "Ein Mord und viele Täter" - one murder, many perpetrators - points to the documentary's central thesis: that several powerful interests had reason to keep the truth buried.
The Nitribitt case became a symbol of the double standards of West Germany's Wirtschaftswunder society, where a veneer of respectability concealed darker realities. The young woman's little black book of clients disappeared after the murder, and the investigation appears to have been hampered by political interference.
The documentary offers a glimpse into 1950s Frankfurt and the culture of silence that surrounded the case. The murder remains unsolved to this day and has inspired numerous books, films and stage plays in Germany.
