Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

19 September 1961 · Window jumps · Bernauer Straße

Erich B.'s family jumps from Bernauer Straße 42

A family of five from Swinemünder Straße 23 jumped from the first floor of the neighbouring house into a fire brigade net; the father broke his thigh.

Sepia photo of an old tram on a cobbled street, with tall tenement houses whose ground-floor windows are bricked up on the right and a screen wall across the street behind.
Bernauer Straße at Wolliner Straße on 8 June 1962; No. 42 was two doors along this row of bricked-up border houses Photo: Sigurd Hilkenbach. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Erich B. lived at Swinemünder Straße 23 with his wife, two children and his mother-in-law. After the Wall was built the family decided to flee.

On 19 September 1961 they jumped from the first floor of the neighbouring house, Bernauer Straße 42, into a jumping sheet held by the West Berlin fire brigade.

A large corner apartment building on Bernauer Straße in winter.
The corner house Bernauer Straße 44 / Wolliner Straße in January 1978 Photo: John Spooner. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Erich B. broke his thigh and spent six months in hospital. The rest of the family came through unharmed.

Sources

Historians and memorials

Facts checked against the sources: September 2026

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Berlin Experiences, “Erich B.'s family jumps from Bernauer Straße 42”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/erich-b-family-bernauer-strasse-42-1961/ (accessed [date]).

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