Crime scene: Bienzle and the wall of fire

Episode of the series Tatort
Original title	Bienzle and the wall of fire
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Production ; company	SDR
length	86 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
classification	Episode 315 ( List )
First broadcast	July 16, 1995 on ARD
Rod
Director	Hartmut Griesmayr
script	Felix Huby
music	Roland Baumgartner
camera	Georg Steinweh
cut	Christiane Krafft
occupation
	Dietz-Werner Steck : Chief Detective Ernst Bienzle ; Rita Russek : Hannelore Schmiedinger; Rüdiger Wandel : Commissioner Günter Gächter; Nicolin Kunz : Barbara Cossmann-Germeroth; Peter Bongartz : Peter Germeroth; Udo Vioff : Ernesto Bäuerle; Siemen Rühaak : Dr. Stefan Glyzenius; Eberhard Feik : Prof. Dr. Ernst Sternebeck; Peter Mohrdieck : Dr. Jürgen Kohlmeier; Jacques Breuer : Carlo Delgado; Monika Hirschle : Monika Laible; Klaus Spürkel : Dr. Bernhard Kocher; Jochen Stark : Lorenz Fichtel; Walter Renneisen;

Bienzle and the Wall of Fire is the 315th episode in the Tatort television series . By the South German Radio result produced for the first time on 16 July 1995 at the First Channel of ARD broadcast. For Chief Detective Ernst Bienzle ( Dietz-Werner Steck ) it is the fifth case. Bienzle is dealing with a murder case related to the machinations of a sect.

action

Lorenz Fichtel is killed by an unknown person in front of his house using an Indian poison arrow. When Bienzle is called to the scene, it initially looks like normal heart failure, but Bienzle learns the true cause of death in forensic medicine. Fichtel grew up in a very religious family and worked for a travel company. Bienzel's partner Hannelore is currently preparing the vernissage of her children's book illustrations, her publisher Peter Germeroth notices how his employee Dr. Kohlmeier, a high-ranking member of the sect “Church of the Knowing Thoughts”, carries out a so-called “clearing” to Peter's secretary Monika Laible in the publishing house with the approval of his wife Barbara, Germeroth intervenes and ends the meeting angrily. At the vernissage, Bienzle learns from Peter and Barbara that Fichtel often bought books directly from the publisher. As an ethnologist, he was also often in the museum of Prof. Dr. Sternebeck and his assistant Dr. Glyzenius, who are also present. Bienzle makes an appointment with Prof. Sternebeck to talk to him about the murder by means of an Indian poison arrow, on the sidelines of the vernissage he also observes how the priest Carlo Delgado talked to Barbara, who is a friend of his partner. He instructs his assistant, Gächter, to find out more about him. After the vernissage, Peter tells his wife that he is having an audit carried out at the publishing house, knowing that his wife has drawn a lot of money from the company for the benefit of the sect, he expresses the suspicion that the sect had something to do with Fichtel's death could have to do and shows his wife collected documents of Fichtel about the sect. Delgado drives to the cult leader Ernesto Bäuerle under the watchful eye of Gächter and says that they would have overstrained Barbara financially, but Fichtel's report has been destroyed in the meantime.

The next day, Bienzle visits Sternebeck's museum, who tells him about an indigenous people in South America who hunt with poison arrows, that he himself took part in such a hunt with a tour group and learned the technique, Bäuerle and Delgado were also members Tour group, the trip was organized by the agency where Fichtel worked. Meanwhile, Hannelore finds out at the publisher that not only Monika is now a member of the sect, but also overhears the conversation between the Germeroths and the auditor, who tells the appalled Peter that the publisher is on the verge of bankruptcy, Peter describes the sect as a criminal , Barbara continues to defend this, she describes Fichtel's report on the sect as a collection of lies that she would have burned for that reason. Peter is horrified because Fichtel had entrusted it to him so that he could arrest the sect. Hannelore informs her partner about the tapped conversation, Bienzle sees the motive for the murder and wants to speak to Peter, as well as to find Fichtel's other documents. Bäuerle and Delgado meanwhile implore Barbara to donate more money for the sect, Bäuerle wants to bring his followers to the control points of power in order to change the world for the better, Barbara must make sacrifices for it. Barbara also tells Bäuerle and Delgado that Fichtel had entrusted her husband with some of his documents and knows the content, Bäurle pricks up the ears. In the evening Bienzle attends a reading in which Peter takes part as a publisher, he witnesses a murder attempt on Peter, the shooter escapes, Peter is only slightly injured. He tells Bienzle that the sect deals in drugs and is out for power. At home, Peter finds a farewell letter from Barbara, who apologizes for not looking through the sect early enough. Barbara commits suicide in her car that same evening. Bienzle destroys Barbara's farewell letter so that Peter can get the high sum insured to save the publisher.

Bienzle visits the Sternebeck Museum and witnesses how Dr. Kohlmeier tried in vain to find Dr. To evangelize Glyzenius, Sternebeck seems to be more open to the sect. Bienzle asks Sternebeck about the sect, he says that Bäuerle finances the studies for him and other ethnologists, but he wants to prevent any influence of the sect on science and just wants to skim off the money for his research. He shows Bienzle a video in which Bäuerle urges his members to move into key positions in politics, science and culture, and Sternebeck is also concerned about this development. Dr. Glyzenius secretly made the video, Fichtel gave him the information about Bäuerle's plans, but afterwards he was no longer able to talk to Fichtel about it before his murder. While Hannelore infiltrates the sect as an interested party without Bienzle's knowledge, Bienzle asks Bäuerle, who denies the guilt of Barbara's death, but also says that he will soon be in control of the police apparatus and remove people like Bienzle from service. Bienzle learns from Gächter that Dr. Kohlmeier was a participant of the South America trip, he also learns that the travel region is an important cultivation place for drugs, but he and Gächter find no evidence of the sect's business in the region. Meanwhile, Hannelore goes to a seminar of the sect, a phone call between her and Bienzle is immediately interrupted, Hannelore notices that she is locked in her room. A short time later, however, her door is unlocked again, when Hannelore gets into the elevator, it is blocked and she is locked again.

Meanwhile, Bienzle goes to see Peter again, who says that Monika was present when he locked the files with Fichtel's research away from him; he has since dismissed Monika because of her membership in the sect. Bienzle remembers that the publisher had always sent Monika to the Sternebeck Museum to order books and believes that she could have had access to the poison arrows. When Hannelore is freed from the elevator, Monika speaks to her and realizes that Hannelore is not at the seminar out of conviction, she threatens that Hannelore should be careful that she does not feel the same way as the "traitor" Fichtel. Meanwhile, Sternebeck rules out to Bienzle and Gächter that Monika had access to the poison, he shows them his safe and notices that the poison ampoules are missing, only he and Glyzenius had a key to the cupboard. Surprisingly, Glyzenius is not present in the museum, although a delivery of important exhibits has arrived. Sternebeck explains to the officials that he had these exhibits financed by Bäuerle. Bienzle looks for Bäuerle, he does not find him because he is at the seminar, Bienzle and Gächter find a folder with all of Fichtel's documents, which was stolen from his apartment after Fichtel's murder. Bäuerle telephones Bienzle and threatens his lawyer, when Bienzle is not impressed, he triumphantly mentions that Hannelore is with him at the seminar. While Bienzle and Gächter rush to the seminar location, Bäuerle Glyzenius tells victory-certain that he prepared the folder with Fichtel's documents in such a way that any connection to his sect was deleted from it. Bienzle reaches the hotel when Delgado threatens Hannelore, who lets go of her and Bienzle and Hannelore go.

The three of them drive to Sternebeck's museum, where the officials discover that there is drugs hidden in the exhibits, they wait with the shocked Sternebeck for Glyzenius, Sternebeck tells the officials that Glyzenius was very good at handling the Indian poison arrows. Glyzenius comes to the museum and finds that the drugs have been discovered, Bäuerle, who has been forewarned by Bienzil's investigations, arrives and tries to blame Glyzenius for both the drug smuggling and the murder of Fichtel. Glyzenius then shoots a poison arrow at Bäuerle, who is saved by Gächter and Bienzle shoots Glyzenius in the leg, whereupon he falls into one of his poison arrows and dies. Bäuerle, who washes his hands in innocence, triumphantly leaves, as Bienzle can no longer prove anything to him, only for the drug search this is the greatest success in years, while Bienzle sees himself as a loser.

Audience and background

When it was first broadcast on July 16, 1995, the episode was seen by 6.82 million viewers. The episode was shot in Stuttgart and Ulm.

The art gallery, in which the publishing house of the spouses Germeroth / Cossmann-Germeroth is located and Hannelore's pictures are illustrated, is located in the Gänsheide district of Stuttgart at Gellertstraße 6. It is called "Galerie Valentien" and regularly offers art exhibitions. The interior shots as well as the shots on the terrace were also shot in or in front of this gallery. The hotel in Bad Urach , in which the event is held by the Church of the Knowing Thoughts, is located in the street "Bei den Thermen 12" in Bad Urach. The building is the Swabian Alb Rehabilitation Clinic. In the background you can see Hohenurach Castle when Hannelore arrives in Bad Urach . The scenes at the end take place in front of the Linden Museum in Stuttgart.