22 August 1961 · Over the wall
Over the wall at Boyenstraße, then a photo
On 22 August 1961 a man waited in the hallway of Boyenstraße 43 until a patrol had passed, then pulled himself up the new wall and jumped over. From the West Berlin side, he took photographs.
At about 11.30 on 22 August 1961 an unknown man was standing in the hallway of Boyenstraße 43. As soon as the patrolling policeman had walked past, he suddenly leapt at the newly built wall, pulled himself up in a flash and jumped over.
He then stood in front of Boyenstraße 2 on the western side and took photographs from there. The guard post at Chausseestraße reported the breakthrough at 11.35.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from GDR records only: documents of the GDR’s police, Stasi or border troops. No other account of the event is cited.
GDR records
- Stab PdVP Berlin – Journal der Handlung, 22 August 1961Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239)
- Bericht Nr. 475/61, 22 August 1961 – Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (6)Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
Facts checked against the sources: November 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Over the wall at Boyenstraße, then a photo”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/boyenstrasse-43-wall-vault-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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