19 September 1961 · Window jumps · Bernauer Straße
A young man misses the window frame and falls three storeys
Discovered on a roof by the border, a young man swung over the edge, missed his foothold and fell three floors; West Berlin paramedics picked him up with several broken bones.
At midday on 19 September 1961 residents of Ackerstraße 42 alerted the border police because they had heard suspicious noises in the attic. The guards found a young man on the roof of the neighbouring house, which stood right on the border.
Ordered to stop, he swung himself over the edge of the roof and tried to find a foothold in the window below. He missed the window frame and fell three storeys to the pavement.
West Berlin paramedics recovered him with several broken bones.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer – Bereich B: Die Zerstörung der Stadt (Orientierungsplan und Ereignismarken), marker B 363, B 367Stiftung Berliner Mauer
- B 363 – Digital Guide, Berlin Wall MemorialStiftung Berliner Mauer
- B 367 – Digital Guide, Berlin Wall MemorialStiftung Berliner Mauer
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “A young man misses the window frame and falls three storeys”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/ackerstrasse-roof-fall-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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