The Spessart Inn

The Spessart Inn

Year: 1958

Runtime: 99 mins

Language: German

Director: Kurt Hoffmann

MusicAdventureComedy

Countess Franziska “is kidnapped” by a band of robbers. However, her father is not willing to pay the ransom so Franziska changes sides.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – The Spessart Inn (1958)

Trace every key event in The Spessart Inn (1958) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Journey through the Spessart toward Würzburg

Felix and Peter, two journeymen, travel across the Spessart hills toward Würzburg. They discuss fears of bandits and the dangers of the road, hoping to reach safety. The setting is late 18th century Europe, a time of travel by carriage and foot along forested paths.

Late 18th century Spessart hills
2

Inn turned thieves' den

The travelers finally find an inn in the middle of the forest and think they've found shelter. It turns out to be a den of thieves in league with the bandits. They sense the danger and prepare to act if needed.

Night Forest inn
3

Ambush and detention of the noble party

The bandits set a trap for Franziska and her fiancé Baron Sperling, along with their entourage, and direct them to the forest inn. The coach is waylaid, and the nobles are forced to surrender to the thieves' control. The journey's security collapses as the inn becomes their holding place.

Night Forest inn
4

Warning spreads to the nobles

The waitress senses the danger and warns Felix and Peter. They pass the warning on to the nobles, trying to avert a crisis. The tension at the inn rises as the bandits close in.

Night Inn
5

Franziska swaps places to escape

When the brigands arrive, Franziska switches places with Felix and, in a man's clothes, escapes with Peter. The switch buys them time, but complicates the captors' plans. Felix remains behind in the Comtesse disguise for the moment.

Night Inn
6

Felix and companions transported to the bandits' lair

Felix, now posing as the Comtesse, is taken along with Franziska's maid and the pastor to the bandits' lair. The prisoners face an uncertain fate as they are processed by the bandits. The lair becomes the center of the conflict to come.

Night Bandits' lair
7

Ransom demanded; Sperling is sent to Graf Sandau

The bandit leader orders Baron Sperling to travel to Graf Sandau with their ransom demand of 20,000 guilders. The aim is to force the Comtesse's father to pay what is owed. The ransom plan intensifies the stakes for everyone involved.

Night Bandits' lair
8

Graf Sandau refuses to pay and mobilizes

Franziska reaches her father's castle and discovers that Graf Sandau refuses to pay the ransom. Instead, he decides to send the military against the bandits. The rescue effort shifts from negotiation to armed pursuit.

Soon after arrival Graf Sandau's castle
9

Franziska infiltrates as a highwayman

Franziska rides to the bandits' lair and pretends to be a highwayman. The bandit leader accepts her as a henchman but makes her sleep in his hut. She keeps her true identity hidden to learn the prisoners' fate.

Night Bandits' lair
10

Morning discovery of the disguise

In the morning, the bandit leader discovers Franziska's true identity but chooses to withhold this knowledge from his men. The deception persists, altering the balance of power within the lair.

Morning Bandits' lair
11

Baron Sperling and soldiers attempt to follow

Graf Sandau learns that the Comtesse has gone to the bandits and sends Baron Sperling with the ransom again. The soldiers shadow him, but their plan to trace the bandits back to their lair fails. The pursuit stalls at a critical moment.

Evening Road
12

Confrontation in the lair; switch back; capture

The corporal discovers that the prisoner is a man. Franziska switches back with Felix, saving his life but becoming a prisoner herself. A confrontation ensues, and the parson escapes.

Confrontation Bandits' lair
13

Lair raided; leader abducts the Comtesse

The soldiers locate the bandits' lair, but the leader snatches the Comtesse and rides off with her into the night. The pursuit resumes as the bandits escape with their prize. The fate of the Comtesse hangs in balance.

Evening/Night Bandits' lair to road
14

Bandit leader's backstory revealed

Franziska conceals the bandit leader in her father's castle and learns he is the son of an Italian Count who was owed money. He explains his motive: a debt unforgotten, and the bandits' cause as his means to recover it. The revelation reframes the conflict as personal as well as financial.

After capture Franziska's father's castle
15

Elopement with the bandit leader

The bandit leader elopes with Franziska, taking her away in a wagon as their financial settlement. They depart together, leaving behind the castle and the failed ransom. The end hints at a new alliance born from money and danger.

Ending Castle to road

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:51

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The Spessart Inn Summary

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The Spessart Inn Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Spessart Inn

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