14 August 1961 · False papers and disguises · Bernauer Straße
Dr. G. rides an ambulance through the Brunnenstraße crossing and stays in the West
In the first night after the border was sealed, a doctor accompanying an ambulance from East to West Berlin through the Brunnenstraße crossing did not go back.
In the days after 13 August 1961 Brunnenstraße, at its junction with Bernauer Straße, was still a crossing point between East and West Berlin. The Berlin Wall Memorial says it stayed open for about ten days after the Wall was built.
At around 2.30 a.m. on 14 August 1961 an ambulance passed through the crossing on its way from East to West Berlin. A physician travelled with it, identified in the memorial text only as Dr. G.
Dr. G. used the journey to leave the GDR: he did not return to the eastern part of the city. The memorial marks the event with marker C 395, near the former crossing.
Sources
Whose account is this? Drawn from a GDR record and historical research.
GDR records
- Stab. Präsidium der Volkspolizei Berlin – Abt. Information – Journal der Handlung, 16. August 1961Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239)
Historians and memorials
- Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer – Bereich C: Der Bau der Mauer (Orientierungsplan und Ereignismarken), marker C 395Stiftung Berliner Mauer
- C 395 – Digital Guide, Berlin Wall MemorialStiftung Berliner Mauer
- C 395 – Digitaler Tourguide, Gedenkstätte Berliner MauerStiftung Berliner Mauer
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Dr. G. rides an ambulance through the Brunnenstraße crossing and stays in the West”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/dr-g-ambulance-brunnenstrasse-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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