Maximilian Warshitsky still mourns the death of his father Michael, who was © killed in Berlin in 2016
The number of illegal street races has increased sharply in Munich. The Deutsches Museum is now dedicating itself to the problem – and is even showing the wreckage of a murder case.
Munich – Weeks later, a sea of flowers and candles on Fürstenrieder Straße reminded us of a tragic fate: schoolboy Max (†14) was killed by a speeder in November 2019 - at more than 120 km/h in the city. Cases like these are shocking - because "the number of illegal street races has increased dramatically during the Corona years," says Gerrit Faust of the Deutsches Museum. "In Bavaria alone, 605 illegal races were registered last year."
For this reason, the traffic center of the Deutsches Museum is now showing a special exhibition entitled "Racer Madness" from Friday, which will be on display at Bavariapark for about a year. "The exhibition also deals with the murderous consequences of this frenzy," says Gerrit Faust. "A central exhibit is the wreckage of the jeep in which Michael Warshitsky died in Berlin in 2016 - as a victim of an illegal street race." The speeders were later convicted of murder and attempted murder - it was the first verdict nationwide in which speeders were seen as murderers who had legally used their car as a weapon. This case caused a sensation worldwide.
Speeding incidents in Munich are on the rise - there were 2022 illegal races in 605
In the traffic center of the Deutsches Museum, curator Lukas Breitwieser shows the car wreck of an accident victim © Markus Götzfried
The victim's son, Maximilian Warshitsky, has released his murdered father's car wreck for exhibition. "It is important to me to inform about this case and to show what the dire consequences of illegal street racing can be," says Maximilian in an interview with our editors.
He himself had to bear the brunt of the accidental death and loss of his father. "He was unexpectedly torn from life shortly before his 70th birthday - and so pointless." Above all, Maximilian Warshitsky had hoped for a just punishment. Because "you can't say that this accident happened by accident".
Speeding accidents: Deutsches Museum shows car wreck of a murder victim in new exhibition
The court then also evaluated the lawn as deliberate: At up to 170 km / h, the two drivers had delivered a race on Berlin's Ku'damm and rammed Michael Warshitsky - the doctor had died on the spot of his serious injuries. His jeep, which will be on display in the exhibition, was completely demolished - with a shattered window, lying on its side.
On Fürstenrieder Straße, the police stopped the black BMW, the student Max had © raced to death Sven Hoppe, dpa
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"The car looks worse than in Hollywood movies," says Maximilian. Coming to terms with his father's fate "was a long and difficult road for me." One of the perpetrators had even contacted him after the murder: "He apologized, but I couldn't shake his hand. The two men are not only responsible for my father's death, they have it on their conscience."
Since 2017, participation in car races has been a punishable offence. In 2021, 210 people were convicted in this way in Bavaria. The numbers had previously risen by more than 60 percent. 78 people were convicted for speeding alone. Just like Victor B. (38) in the case of schoolboy Max – he was the first speeder in Munich to receive life imprisonment for murder.
You can find even more up-to-date news from Munich and the region on tz.de/muenchen.