1 January 1973 · Driving through
A car with its boot open hits a concrete pillar at Heinrich-Heine-Straße
Late on 1 January 1973 the driver of a car with its boot open tried to smash through the Berlin Wall but hit a concrete pillar; the West Berlin police said border guards arrested five or six people at the Heinrich-Heine-Straße crossing.
Late on the night of 1 January 1973 the driver of a car with its boot open tried to smash through the Berlin Wall but hit a concrete pillar.
According to the West Berlin police, East German border guards arrested five or six people at the Heinrich-Heine-Straße crossing point. The report says the attempt could have been an effort to smuggle several refugees to the West.
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.
Date
- In a brief datelined Berlin, 3 January, the attempt took place "late last night", which would be the night of 2 January.Press (Christchurch), via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand) (press)
- The car drove into the control area at about 11.25 p.m. on 1 January 1973.DDR im Blick (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv) (GDR record)
This page follows the Stasi report, which was written on 3 January and gives the time; the Press brief gives no date of its own.
How many were arrested
- The West Berlin police said border guards arrested five or six people at the crossing.Press (Christchurch), via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand) (press)
- The MfS arrested the two West Germans, the driver and the helper who opened the boot, as they tried to take out the East German hidden in it; arrest warrants were issued against all three.DDR im Blick (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv) (GDR record)
What stopped the car
- The car hit a concrete pillar.Press (Christchurch), via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand) (press)
- The car broke through two cable barriers on an unused lane and crashed into the closed barrier ("Schlagbaum"); the driver tried to run on foot and was arrested.DDR im Blick (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv) (GDR record)
Sources
Whose account is this? Drawn from a GDR record and a press report.
GDR records
Press
- Cable news in brief from all over the world: 'Escape bid jails' (4 January 1973)Press (Christchurch), via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand)
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, “A car with its boot open hits a concrete pillar at Heinrich-Heine-Straße”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/heinrich-heine-strasse-open-boot-car-1973/ (accessed [date]).
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