19 September 1961 · Window jumps
Five escapees rope down from the roof of Bernauer Straße 43
Four men and a woman crossed the rooftops, tied a rope to a chimney and let themselves down to the western pavement; the woman fell from the third-floor level and was badly hurt, and another woman was caught in the attic.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on 19 September 1961, four men and a woman who had made their way over the rooftops from Rheinsberger Straße reached the roof of Bernauer Straße 43. They tied a rope to the chimney and let themselves down towards the West Berlin pavement.
At about the level of the third floor the woman lost her grip and fell to the pavement, suffering serious injuries. One of the men burned both hands on the rope. The others got down unhurt.
A little later border soldiers arrested another woman in the attic of the same building who had also wanted to escape.
Sources
- Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer, Bereich D: Ereignismarken (D 438)Stiftung Berliner Mauer
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