Jumping onto the Moscow–Paris Express behind Friedrichstraße
In January 1964 a group of young East Berliners jumped, alone or in pairs, from a hiding place just behind Friedrichstraße station onto the westbound Moscow–Paris Express. The route was discovered when Karl-Heinz Richter slipped, was badly hurt and was arrested.
In January 1964 several young East Berliners decided to escape by rail. From a hiding place immediately behind Bahnhof Friedrichstraße they jumped onto the Moscow–Paris Express, the heavily guarded international train that left for the West every evening at 20:53. They went a few days apart, alone or in pairs.
According to the Chronik der Mauer's summary of Karl-Heinz Richter's memoir, eight grammar-school pupils escaped to West Berlin this way within three weeks.
The route was uncovered when Richter himself tried to jump onto the train and stumbled. He could not pull himself up, was left behind and was seriously injured.
A few days after the attempt the Stasi arrested him and held him in its remand prison in Kissingenstraße in Berlin-Pankow. He was sentenced to eight months for 'attempted flight from the Republic' and, because of his poor health, released in July 1964 after about half a year.
Richter later left the GDR legally, helped people escape as a lorry driver in West Berlin and today tells the story as a guide at the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. He wrote it down in his book 'Mit dem "Moskau-Paris-Express" in die Freiheit' (2003).
Sources
- Richter, Karl-Heinz: Mit dem Moskau-Paris-Express in die Freiheit (literature entry)Chronik der Mauer
- Karl-Heinz Richter (Biogramm)Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
- Mit dem Moskau-Paris-Express in die Freiheit (Zeitzeugenbericht, event notice)Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung
- Karl-Heinz Richter (Autor)Wikipedia (de)
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