Karol Kot was a teenage student from Krakow, Poland, born on 18 December 1946. He developed a fixation on stabbing and bloodletting, reportedly drinking the blood of his victims, which earned him the nickname the "Vampire of Krakow." He was arrested in 1966, convicted of murder and multiple attacks, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging in 1968.
Victims
Helena Kisielowa (60)
Marian Społczyński (11)
Location
Kraków, Poland
Summary
Karol Kot, a Krakow teenager nicknamed the \"Vampire of Krakow,\" carried out a series of knife attacks in the mid-1960s, killing two people and wounding several others.
Details
Karol Kot was a young student in Krakow who, beginning around 1964, carried out a series of stabbing attacks targeting elderly people and children, often choosing victims he encountered in churches and public places. He killed two people, including 60-year-old Helena Kisielowa and 11-year-old Marian Spolczynski, and wounded several others, reportedly attempting to drink his victims' blood. He was arrested in 1966 and put on trial in Krakow. Convicted of murder and multiple assaults, he was sentenced to death and executed by hanging in 1968.
Overview
Karol Kot (18 December 1946 - 16 May 1968) was a Polish murderer who terrorised the city of Krakow in the mid-1960s. Nicknamed the "Vampire of Krakow" by the press, he carried out a series of knife attacks, mostly against elderly women and children, between 1964 and 1966. He was convicted of two murders alongside numerous attempted murders and acts of arson.
Kot was a teenager and secondary-school student throughout his crimes, which contributed to the shock the case generated in communist-era Poland. His apparently random choice of victims, the methodical cruelty of the attacks, and his detached confessions led to the macabre "vampire" label that has followed the case ever since.
Background
Kot was born in Krakow on 18 December 1946 into an educated, middle-class family. Accounts describe a father who worked as an engineer and a household that, on the surface, appeared ordinary. He attended a technical secondary school in the city and was a keen competitive shooter at a local sports club, where his marksmanship was noted.
Biographical accounts describe a childhood fascination with knives, blood and dying animals, said to have intensified after he witnessed the slaughter of animals during family holidays in the countryside. These details, drawn largely from later investigation and trial reporting, are widely repeated but should be read as part of the case narrative rather than independently verifiable medical fact.
The Attacks
Kot's first series of attacks took place in September 1964. He stabbed several people, typically approaching victims from behind, often in or near churches. Two women survived stabbings that month, while an elderly woman, Maria Plichta, died of her injuries. Her age is given variously across sources as in her late seventies or eighties.
A second wave of violence followed in 1966. On 13 February 1966 Kot fatally stabbed an 11-year-old boy, identified in most accounts as Leszek Calek, near the Kosciuszko Mound, where a children's tobogganing event was being held. In April 1966 he attacked and badly wounded a young girl, who survived multiple stab wounds. Investigators also linked him to attempted poisonings and to arson, broadening the picture of his offending.
Arrest
The attacks caused widespread fear in Krakow, and the investigation drew significant police attention. Kot was arrested in 1966; English-language sources commonly date this to 1 June 1966, reported as the day after he sat his matura (school-leaving) examination, while some Polish accounts give a slightly later date in July. He was reportedly permitted to complete the exam as part of establishing his fitness to stand trial.
A search of his home is said to have uncovered a collection of knives and bladed weapons. During questioning Kot confessed and, according to numerous accounts, described his crimes with an unusual lack of emotion, framing the infliction of pain in aesthetic terms.
Trial and Execution
Kot stood trial in 1967 and pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He was convicted of two murders, ten attempted murders and four counts of arson, and was sentenced to death on 14 July 1967. The case then passed through appeal: the sentence was at one point commuted to life imprisonment, before the death penalty was reinstated on review in early 1968.
Karol Kot was executed by hanging on 16 May 1968 in Katowice, aged 21. He remains one of the youngest people executed in post-war Poland. Some accounts claim an autopsy revealed a brain tumour, but this is disputed and the supporting documentation is regarded as unreliable.
Legacy
The case became one of the most notorious in post-war Polish criminal history and has since featured in books, documentaries, podcasts and popular culture. The combination of Kot's youth, the seemingly motiveless nature of the attacks, and the lurid "Vampire of Krakow" nickname has kept the story in circulation for decades.
Because much of the available material derives from period press coverage and later popular retellings, details such as exact victim ages, the spelling of some names, and certain quotations vary between sources. The central facts - Kot's identity, the two confirmed killings, the 1964 and 1966 attacks, and his 1968 execution - are consistently documented.
Video Coverage
Frequently asked questions
What was the The Vampire of Krakow (Karol Kot) case?
Karol Kot, a Krakow teenager nicknamed the \"Vampire of Krakow,\" carried out a series of knife attacks in the mid-1960s, killing two people and wounding several others.
Who was responsible for The Vampire of Krakow (Karol Kot)?
Karol Kot. Karol Kot was a teenage student from Krakow, Poland, born on 18 December 1946. He developed a fixation on stabbing and bloodletting, reportedly drinking the blood of his victims, which earned him the nickname the "Vampire of Krakow." He was arrested in 1966, convicted of murder and multiple attacks, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging in 1968.
Who were the victims of the The Vampire of Krakow (Karol Kot) case?
The named victims were Helena Kisielowa, Marian Społczyński.
Where and when did the The Vampire of Krakow (Karol Kot) case take place?
It took place in Kraków, Poland in 1966.
Was the The Vampire of Krakow (Karol Kot) case solved?
