21 August 1961 · Over the wall · Invalidenstraße and the Humboldthafen
The person in the white coat from the Charité
On 21 August 1961 a person in a white coat came out of the last gate of the Charité and jumped over the barrier into West Berlin while the guard had been called to the telephone.
At about 16.30 on 21 August 1961 the guard at checkpoint 35 was called to the telephone. A person in a white coat used the moment. Coming out of the last gate of the Charité, the gate of the dental and jaw clinic on Invalidenstraße, they jumped over the barrier. At that point it did not yet have any wire on it. A Stasi report of the same day counts three people instead: a doctor and two nurses of the Charité, who fled at checkpoint 35 at about 16.45 while the guard was on the telephone.
The police in Mitte confirmed the incident but could not find out who the person was. They planned to investigate further the next day.
Where the accounts differ
The sources do not tell this story the same way. We give each version with its source rather than choose one; the summary and map follow the best-supported version.
Who crossed, and when
- At about 16.30 one person in a white coat, coming out of the last gate of the Charité (the dental and jaw clinic), jumped over the barrier while the guard was called to the telephone; who it was could not be established.Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239) (GDR record)
- At about 16.45 a doctor and two nurses of the Charité fled at control point 35 while the guard was on the telephone.Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick) (GDR record)
That both describe the same escape is an inference from the checkpoint, the day and the telephone call. The record's fields follow the police log (one person).
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, 21 August 1961Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239)
- Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (5) – Bericht Nr. 470/61, 21. August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
Facts checked against the sources: November 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “The person in the white coat from the Charité”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/charite-white-coat-invalidenstrasse-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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