8 August 1989 · Driving through
Trabant caught by a steel cable at Drewitz
On 8 August 1989 a 33-year-old man from Belzig drove his Trabant into the Drewitz crossing, where a steel cable barrier stopped him.
In the early evening of 8 August 1989 a 33-year-old man from Belzig drove his Trabant into the Drewitz checkpoint at about 60 km/h, setting off the alarm and the closure of all barriers.
In the lane for vehicles carrying dangerous goods the Trabant drove over one cable barrier but was stopped by a second steel cable.
He was slightly injured, arrested and handed over to Department IX of the Potsdam Stasi district office. Transit travellers saw the incident, and the Western press reported on it.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Berlin Experiences, “Trabant caught by a steel cable at Drewitz”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/trabant-drewitz-1989/ (accessed [date]).
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