26 May 1989 · Aircraft and balloons · Treptow and Neukölln
Ultralight flight from Treptower Park to the Reichstag
Two brothers who had already fled flew ultralight aircraft from West Berlin to Treptower Park at dawn; one landed to pick up their brother Egbert, and both aircraft came down in front of the Reichstag.
By 1989 Ingo and Holger Bethke were both living in the West, while their brother Egbert remained in East Germany. Ingo and Holger sold their pub in Cologne and used the money to buy two ultralight aircraft, which were painted in camouflage green and marked with red stars.
In the early morning of 26 May 1989 the brothers took off from West Berlin and flew over the Wall into East Berlin. Ingo landed in Treptower Park to pick up Egbert, who had been hiding in the bushes, while Holger stayed in the air above them.
Both aircraft then flew back over the border and landed in front of the Reichstag building in West Berlin. Police found the two aircraft there hours later; the brothers had gone to the Berlin office of the magazine Quick, to which they sold the rights to their story, and only went to the police about 36 hours later.
Sources
Whose account is this? Drawn from press reports and historical research.
Press
- Mit dem Motordrachen über die MauerDer Tagesspiegel
- Flucht zur West-Mark (taz, 29 May 1989)taz
- Wendekalender: 26. Mai 1989Der Tagesspiegel (byline 'loy', 26 May 2009)
- Medien: Fliegen, fliehen, filmenDer Tagesspiegel (Marisa Middleton, 21 May 2003)
- Von der DDR in den Westen: Drei Brüder, drei Fluchtgeschichten (Katja Iken, 23 May 2014)Der Spiegel
Historians and memorials
- Flucht der Brüder BethkeBerliner Mauer Karte (berlinwallmap.info)
Facts checked against the sources: October 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Ultralight flight from Treptower Park to the Reichstag”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/bethke-brothers-microlights-1989/ (accessed [date]).
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