History - GDR Baltic Sea escapes: Researchers trace 147 biographies
They swam, used inflatable or folding boats or their own constructions - but did not reach their destination. Many people paid with their lives for trying to escape from the GDR across the Baltic Sea. A team of researchers from the University of Greifswald has now traced the fates of 147 fatalities. Short biographies published on the Internet shed light on their tragic lives. The project "Deaths during escape attempts across the Baltic Sea" ends at the end of the year after three and a half years. According to those involved, it is the first scientific examination of the topic. A book is also due to be published shortly.
The scientists were able to verify 135 of the deaths as escape attempts. Twelve cases are suspected. In addition, there is evidence in more than 100 deaths.
As a starting point, the team of four researchers identified 655 people who drowned in the Baltic Sea while trying to escape between 1961 and 1989. The researchers read files from registry offices, for example. They painstakingly examined the cases for possible reasons for fleeing, consulted extensive archive material and also spoke to relatives.
It is striking that almost a fifth of the verified fatal escape attempts took place in 1961 and 1962, i.e. immediately after the Wall was built. Moreover, they were mainly young men. But families also died in failed escape attempts.
Research project Cases processed
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- The research focus of the University of Greifswald team was primarily on individuals who attempted to escape from the GDR to Saxony or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, located near the Baltic Sea.
- Despite numerous attempts, many people failed to make it out of the GDR and died in the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea, a sad reminder of the harsh realities under the communist regime.
- One of the notable escape attempts occurred in the early 1960s, shortly after the construction of the Berlin Wall, with a majority of the victims being young men from the GDR.
- The research project, titled 'Deaths during escape attempts across the Baltic Sea,' uncovered evidence of family members also participating in failed escape attempts, highlighting the desperate circumstances in the GDR.
- The project analysis revealed that the University of Greifswald team was able to verify 135 deaths as GDR escape attempts, with twelve cases still under suspicion.
- As the turn of the year approaches, the three-and-a-half-year research project on the tragic history of GDR Baltic Sea escapes is coming to an end, with a book publication scheduled shortly.
- The comprehensive biographical research into these individuals' lives provides a valuable contribution to the scientific understanding of the history of the GDR and the lengths people went to in their quest for freedom.
Source: www.stern.de
