Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

30 November 1979 · Over the wall · Bernauer Straße

Mario E. gets away from the guards, then is caught by the police

Spotted by border troops at Wolliner Straße at 2 a.m., Mario E. got away, but the People's Police arrested him half an hour later in Eberswalder Straße.

Colour photo taken over the top of a concrete wall: a cobbled street between tall apartment blocks, with a row of small white trailers parked in the border strip and a yellow articulated bus turning across the street further on.
Wolliner Straße in East Berlin seen over the Wall from Bernauer Straße in 1982, three years after Mario E.'s attempt there Photo: Lothar Weber. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

At about two o'clock in the morning on 30 November 1979 Mario E. tried to escape at Wolliner Straße.

The border troops spotted him, but he managed to get away from them.

Black-and-white photo: a signpost with street signs for Bernauer Straße and Wolliner Straße and notices reading 'Achtung Sektorengrenze 150 m' and 'Straßensperrung verursacht durch die Schandmauer' stands in front of a low wall of concrete slabs daubed 'KZ', with tall, bare-walled buildings behind.
The Wall across the end of Wolliner Straße at Bernauer Straße on 9 June 1965, with the street signs and West Berlin warning notices Photo: Willy Pragher. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Half an hour later the People's Police arrested him in Eberswalder Straße, where he was with a friend.

Sources

Historians and memorials

Facts checked against the sources: September 2026

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Berlin Experiences, “Mario E. gets away from the guards, then is caught by the police”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/mario-e-wolliner-strasse-1979/ (accessed [date]).

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