Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

27 August 1961 · Over the wall · Bernauer Straße

An unknown man over the wall at Swinemünder Straße

At about 4.10 p.m. on 27 August 1961 an unknown man climbed the barrier wall at the Swinemünder Straße control point and escaped into West Berlin.

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, a few doors from the Swinemünder Straße corner, with the border houses' windows bricked up Photo: Sigurd Hilkenbach. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

According to the Stasi report of 27 August 1961, at about 4.10 p.m. an unknown man climbed over the barrier wall at the Swinemünder Straße control point and got away into West Berlin.

It was one of four breakthroughs with six people that the report recorded for its reporting period, with no particular focal point; the others were at Seehof, in Heidelberger Straße and at control point 56.

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

Sources

  1. Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (11) – Bericht Nr. 491/61, 27. August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)

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  2. 23 August 1961

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