Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

1976 · Hidden in vehicles

Edith Fiedler is found in a car hideout at Drewitz

Edith Fiedler, an architect from East Berlin born in 1935, was discovered in a hiding place in a car at the Drewitz border crossing on her second attempt to flee to the West and was arrested; she was imprisoned in the women's prison at Hoheneck for 'Republikflucht'.

This is a reported escape. It appears in a reputable publication, but its key details could not be checked against a second source. See the note below.

Edith Fiedler, born in 1935, worked as an architect in East Berlin in the 1970s. In the middle of the decade she decided to flee to the West. She broke off a first attempt, then, despite her doubts, tried a second time.

She was discovered in a hiding place in a car at the Drewitz border crossing and arrested. She was sent to the women's prison at Hoheneck for 'Republikflucht'.

Sources

Witness accounts

Facts checked against the sources: November 2026

Spotted an error, or know more about this story? Email us a correction or addition

Cite this page

Berlin Experiences, “Edith Fiedler is found in a car hideout at Drewitz”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/edith-fiedler-drewitz-car-hideout-1976/ (accessed [date]).

Related escapes

  1. 1975

    Peuker's brother hidden in the tank of a converted car at Drewitz

    In the mid-1970s Detlef Hubert Peuker, who had himself escaped in 1969, helped smuggle his brother out of the GDR through the Drewitz–Dreilinden crossing, hidden in the tank of a converted car.

    Hidden in vehicles · Reached the West · Potsdam (Drewitz) / Steglitz-Zehlendorf (Dreilinden)

  2. 4 March 1975

    Escape helper Hartmut Richter caught at Drewitz with his sister in the boot

    After smuggling 33 people out in the boot of his car, escape helper Hartmut Richter was stopped at the Drewitz crossing with his own sister and her fiancé hidden inside, and sentenced to 15 years.

    Hidden in vehicles · Stopped · Potsdam

  3. 7 July 1969

    The 'Trojan cow' at Drewitz

    A 28-year-old woman from Karl-Marx-Stadt was hidden inside a hollow model bull in a wooden crate, but the hiding place was found at the Drewitz crossing.

    Hidden in vehicles · Stopped · Potsdam

  4. 29 December 1972

    Ellen Thiemann's escape car stopped at the border

    The journalist Ellen Thiemann planned to leave the GDR with her eleven-year-old son Carsten in a specially prepared car. On 29 December 1972 she and her husband were arrested and she was later sentenced to three years and five months; after the Wall fell she learned from her Stasi files that her husband had been an informer.

    Hidden in vehicles · Stopped · Mitte