13 September 1961 · Window jumps
Fire-net escapes at Harzer Straße, Treptow
Two men escaped from Harzer Straße 109 into a fire brigade net, but two hours later East Berlin police used a water cannon and tear gas to stop two women jumping from No. 117.
The houses on Harzer Straße stood in the East Berlin district of Treptow, directly on the sector border with Neukölln.
On 13 September 1961, at about noon, two men in the building at Harzer Straße 109 got away to West Berlin by jumping into a rescue net held by the West Berlin fire brigade.
Around 2 p.m. the fire brigade stood ready with a net at Harzer Straße 117, where two women were trying to escape. East Berlin border police now used a water cannon and threw tear gas with explosive effects. The women did not dare to jump, the firefighters had to drop the net and the escape failed. A week later, on 20 September, about 250 families were forcibly moved out of twenty buildings on Harzer Straße.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Gescheiterte Sprungtuch-Flucht in Treptow, 13. September 1961Chronik der Mauer
- Chronik 1961 – SeptemberChronik der Mauer
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Fire-net escapes at Harzer Straße, Treptow”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/harzer-strasse-net-escapes-1961/ (accessed [date]).
Related escapes
12 September 1961
A 56-year-old jumps from the third floor of Harzer Straße 113 into the fire brigade's sheet
At about 9.20 a.m. on 12 September 1961 a 56-year-old woman jumped from the third floor of Harzer Straße 113 into a jumping sheet held ready by the West Berlin fire brigade.
24 September 1961
Frieda Schulze's tug-of-war at the window
As forced evictions began, a 77-year-old widow climbed onto her window ledge while East Berlin police tried to pull her back and West Berliners tried to help her down; she fell into the fire brigade's net.
21 August 1961
A 63-year-old climbs out of her window as Harzer Straße is cleared
During the resettlement of residents in Harzer Straße, Treptow, in August 1961, a 63-year-old woman from No. 109 used the opportunity to climb out of the window and go to West Berlin.
22 September 1961
Family F. jumps under fire from the third floor
While a border policeman tried to stop her with a warning shot and West Berlin police fired tear-gas cartridges at him, a mother jumped into the fire brigade's net; her husband threw down their five-year-old son and then jumped himself.
