Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

6 October 1961 · Window jumps · Bernauer Straße

Anita L. and Erna M. are caught in the attic with a washing line

Two women who planned to let themselves down to the West on a washing line were arrested in the attic of Swinemünder Straße 24.

A large corner apartment building on Bernauer Straße in winter.
The corner house Bernauer Straße 44 / Wolliner Straße in January 1978, near Swinemünder Straße Photo: John Spooner. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

On the evening of 6 October 1961 border police arrested Anita L. and Erna M. in the attic of the building at Swinemünder Straße 24. The two women had planned to let themselves down to the West on a washing line.

The border police handed them over to the East Berlin People's Police.

Sepia photo of an old tram on a cobbled street, with tall tenement houses whose ground-floor windows are bricked up on the right and a screen wall across the street behind.
Bernauer Straße at Wolliner Straße on 8 June 1962 Photo: Sigurd Hilkenbach. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Sources

Historians and memorials

Facts checked against the sources: September 2026

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Cite this page

Berlin Experiences, “Anita L. and Erna M. are caught in the attic with a washing line”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/anita-l-erna-m-swinemuender-strasse-24-1961/ (accessed [date]).

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