August 13, 1961 is a special day in German history, which is remembered in Germany not just on round dates. It entered collective memory, becoming the starting point for the existence of the Berlin Wall, whose fall in 1989 ended the post-war division of the country into West and East.

The 160-kilometer Berlin Wall and the entire 1,400-kilometer German-German wall divided people, families, destinations. People tried and found ways to overcome concrete barriers, barbed wire fences, control lanes… Many escapes were successful, some ended in tragedy.

Conrad Schumann’s Leap

This painting from August 1961 went down in history and became symbolic. It depicts the moment when East German soldier Conrad Schumann takes the opportunity to jump a barbed wire fence and escape the GDR. He did this two days after the construction of the Berlin Wall began. He was one of tens of thousands of people who tried to flee the GDR.

run away across the border

Look for a secret tunnel under the Berlin Wall in 1975

Some will cross the German-German border on foot, at the risk of being shot. Others are hiding in car dens, building planes, hot air balloons and submarines. 40,000 attempts will end in success. Several hundred people will die. At least 140 attempts to cross the Berlin Wall will end tragically. Today we are going to talk about those who fled the GDR under the Wall.

Underground

Exhibition “Berlin Dungeons” in the bunker of Gesundbrunnen metro station

One of the themed tours carried out in the German capital by specialists from the Historical Society of the Berlin Metro (Berliner Unterwelten – berliner-unterwelten.de) is dedicated to this theme: Tour M – Unterirdisch in die Freiheit. It starts in a bunker at the Gesundbrunnen metro station, where the first part of the exhibition is located, and continues in the basement of one of the houses on Bernauer Strasse, in the place where they most often tried to dig tunnels.

“Stalin’s Lawns”

Such railings with sharp protruding rods between the railroad tracks began to be called “Stalin’s lawns”

In the first few months after construction began on the Berlin Wall, hundreds of people were able to take advantage of existing underground breaches – while they were open. About 850 people fled through the sewers, about 120 fugitives passed through the subway tunnels. However, soon the GDR authorities began to act. In the subway, protective covers were removed from the contact rails, such “Stalin lawns” were placed on the sleepers …

first measures

“Prohibited zone! Entry, entry and photography are prohibited…”

The sewer tunnels were blocked off with beams and railings, equipped with an alarm system. Underground structures began to be watched. Diversion routes were marked with arrows and inscriptions: “To the enemy” – “To our” (Feindwärts – Freundwärts). It is true that not all patrols have returned from patrols. During the tour, visitors can look at the subway through a special window…

Mass Exodus from the GDR

Metro tunnel near Gesundbrunnen station

Criminal responsibility for escape attempts from the GDR was introduced as early as 1957, and the border was reinforced five years earlier. Before the construction of the Berlin Wall began, the number of GDR border troops was already about 40 thousand people. In the previous ten years, it increased more than 2.5 times. The fact is that the inhabitants of the GDR fled to the West by the thousands: 2.6 million in 1949-1961.

obvious surprise

Restored tunnel in the basement of an old brewery on Bernauer Straße

In the last month alone before construction of the Berlin Wall began, in August 1961, more than 30,000 people left the GDR. The workers’ and peasants’ state could do without workers and peasants, as well as engineers and creative intellectuals. Despite all the alarming signs and actions of the GDR authorities, for many, the complete closure of the border was still a surprise, especially in Berlin.

first tunnels

Construction of “Tunnel 57” in 1964

When escape routes were blocked by the subway and sewers, they started digging tunnels. According to some reports, until the mid-1970s, their number was about forty, according to others – about seventy, completed and unfinished. Through them, a total of up to 300 people fled to West Berlin. This photo was taken during the construction of the so-called “Tunnel 57” – one of the most famous.

57 people in one night

Reconstructed section of an adit in the basement of a house on Bernauer Straße

“57” is not a serial number, but the number of people who managed to get out of the GDR using it (before it was discovered, in just one night). The traitor turned out to be a man who also had to flee, but fell under the hood of the MGB. In the second part of the exhibition, located in the basement of an old brewery on Bernauer Strasse, you can see a reconstructed section of the adit, created with the participation of former builders.

longest tunnel

Entrance to the partially reconstructed tunnel under Bernauer Straße

In total, 120 people were supposed to use this tunnel. It turned out to be the longest – 145 meters and also the deepest – 12 meters. They dug on the West Berlin side, however, we note that no less than they were placed on the GDR side. From April to October 1964, 35 people participated in this project, including specialists with engineering and technical knowledge and skills.

Tunnels “57” and “29”

Historical photographs at the “Berlin Underground” exhibition

Tunnel 57 was partially financed by the rights to future use of film and photographic material in the media, but most of it, around 30,000 Deutschmarks, came from a secret fund of the West German government. Tour participants will also get to know the story of another project – “Tunnel 29”, whose story served as the basis for the German TV movie “Der Tunnel”, filmed in 2001.

Bernauer Strasse

Konrad Schumann’s escape scene near the entrance to the “Berlin Dungeon” society office

At the entrance to the Berlin Dungeon branch on Bernauer Strasse, visitors are greeted by Konrad Schumann jumping over barbed wire. Nearby is the Berlin Wall memorial and documentary information center (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer), dedicated to the history of the city, which in 1961-1989 was at the forefront of the Cold War.