- Berlin remembers the building of the wall 63 years ago
Representatives from politics, culture, and society, along with former escape helpers and relatives of those who died at the Berlin Wall, commemorated the 63rd anniversary of its construction. Among them were members of all factions of the House of Representatives and Berlin's governing mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU). They laid wreaths at the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße.
"We remember those who died trying to reach freedom," said Frank Ebert, Berlin's commissioner for the processing of the SED dictatorship, at the central memorial event in Berlin-Mitte. "We also remember the countless unknown fates and those whose dreams and lives were destroyed by the construction of the wall."
There were a dozen escape tunnels on Bernauer Straße
In the Chapel of Reconciliation at the Berlin Wall Memorial, pastor Thomas Jeutner remembered those who risked fleeing from East Berlin to the West, sometimes crawling underneath the wall. A dozen escape tunnels are known to have been dug just on Bernauer Straße alone.
Eveline Rudolph, a contemporary witness, recounted her successful escape through one of these tunnels in September 1962, despite being under Stasi surveillance. "It's so unforgettable that it always stays with me," she said. "It's unimaginable what could have happened."
"Who can describe the fear of being betrayed or discovered?"
Ralph Kabisch also shared how the day the wall was built in 1961 had been etched into his memory. At 22, he joined an escape helper group and spent months digging for one of the tunnels.
"Who can describe the fear of being betrayed or discovered, arrested or shot?" said pastor Jeutner. "For weeks and months, many on both sides of the border sought solutions to enable escape. So, while most felt powerless, some developed great determination and, above all, the willingness to take risks and attempt the escape."
The Berlin Wall was 155 kilometers long
Jeutner also pointed to present-day challenges, such as the war in Ukraine: "Like hardly any other year, we feel the pain of what this great human experience means: fleeing."
The construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961. The DDR leadership wanted to stop the mass exodus of people to West Berlin and West Germany, which was hindering the DDR economy and destabilizing the state.
The approximately 155-kilometer-long barrier divided Berlin for more than 28 years. According to the Berlin Wall Foundation, at least 140 people were killed at the wall or died in connection with the DDR border regime. After mass protests in the DDR, the wall was opened on November 9, 1989.
The Berlin Wall, which was 155 kilometers long, was constructed on August 13, 1961, as a measure by the DDR leadership to halt the mass exodus to West Berlin and West Germany.
The Berlin Wall, a symbol of division, stood for more than 28 years, with its construction commemorated annually by representatives from politics, culture, and society, including former escape helpers and relatives of those who lost their lives trying to cross it.
