# Victims of the Berlin Wall, 1961–1989

> Remembering the 140 people who were killed at the Berlin Wall or died in connection with the East German border regime between 1961 and 1989: their lives, the circumstances of their deaths, and where they died.

A memorial and reference site, part of Berlin Experiences (https://berlinexperiences.com/). Every profile is an original summary
of the biography published by the research project "The Victims at the Berlin Wall, 1961–1989" (Centre for
Contemporary History Potsdam and Berlin Wall Foundation, eds. Hans-Hermann Hertle and Maria Nooke) on Chronik der
Mauer, and every fact was checked against its source in several independent passes; where a profile also uses
other sources, they are listed on it with what they support. Each page has a plain
Markdown version at the same address ending in .md. The complete text of the site is at
https://victimsofthewall.com/llms-full.txt. Please link to the page you quote. Corrections: info@berlinexperiences.com.

## Key facts

- At least 140 people died at the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989, according to the research project of the Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF) and the Berlin Wall Foundation (findings dated August 2017, by Hans-Hermann Hertle and Maria Nooke).
- They were 101 people trying to escape; 30 people from East and West with no intention of escaping, and one Soviet soldier; and eight East German border soldiers killed on duty.
- Ida Siekmann was the first to die, on 22 August 1961; two days later Günter Litfin became the first person to be shot dead at the Wall. Chris Gueffroy, shot on 5 February 1989, was hit by what his biography calls the last fatal bullets fired at the Berlin Wall. Winfried Freudenberg fell to his death from a balloon over Berlin-Zehlendorf on 8 March 1989.
- Separately from the 140, at least 251 travellers, most of them elderly, died before, during or after passing through a Berlin checkpoint, mostly of heart attacks.

## Articles

- [How Many People Died at the Berlin Wall?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/how-many-people-died-at-the-berlin-wall.md): At least 140 people died at the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989: 101 escapees, 30 people with no intent to escape, a Soviet soldier and eight border guards.
- [Who Were the First Victims of the Berlin Wall?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/first-victims-of-the-berlin-wall.md): Ida Siekmann was the first person to die at the Berlin Wall, on 22 August 1961; Günter Litfin was the first to be shot dead. Twelve people died there in 1961.
- [Who Was the Last Person Killed at the Berlin Wall?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/last-victims-of-the-berlin-wall.md): Chris Gueffroy, shot on 5 February 1989, was the last person shot dead at the Berlin Wall; Winfried Freudenberg, who fell from a balloon, was the last to die.
- [Berlin Wall Victims Memorials: Where to Remember the Dead](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/berlin-wall-victims-memorials.md): Where to remember the victims of the Berlin Wall: the Window of Remembrance, the White Crosses, memorial columns and the Fechter, Litfin and Gueffroy memorials.
- [The Children Who Died at the Berlin Wall](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/children-who-died-at-the-berlin-wall.md): Five West Berlin boys drowned in the Spree, where the whole river belonged to East Berlin; three East Berlin boys were killed by gunfire. Who they were.
- [Was There a Shoot-to-Kill Order at the Berlin Wall?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/shoot-to-kill-order-berlin-wall.md): East Germany denied it, but from 1961 orders told Wall guards to use firearms against escapees. How the Schießbefehl worked, and how it ended in April 1989.
- [Border Soldiers Killed at the Berlin Wall: The Eight Guards](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/border-soldiers-killed-at-the-berlin-wall.md): Eight East German border soldiers died on duty at the Berlin Wall between 1962 and 1980. Who they were, how they died, and how the GDR used their deaths.
- [Berlin Wall Shooting Trials: Guards, Generals and the Politburo](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/berlin-wall-shooting-trials.md): After 1990, Berlin prosecutors charged 246 people over violence at the Berlin Wall and 132 were convicted. Guards, generals, the Politburo and the ECHR.
- [Who Was Peter Fechter? The 18-Year-Old Shot at the Berlin Wall](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/who-was-peter-fechter.md): Peter Fechter, an 18-year-old bricklayer from East Berlin, was shot at the Wall near Checkpoint Charlie on 17 August 1962 and lay there wounded for 50 minutes.
- [Who Drowned at the Berlin Wall?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/berlin-wall-drownings.md): 24 of the 140 Berlin Wall victims drowned: 18 escapees in the Spree, Havel, Teltow Canal and lakes, and six with no intent to escape, five of them children.
- [Who Died at the Berlin Wall on Bernauer Strasse?](https://victimsofthewall.com/articles/bernauer-strasse-berlin-wall-deaths.md): Five people died after escape attempts on Bernauer Strasse in 1961–62; a border soldier was fatally shot nearby in 1964. Their stories and the memorial today.

## Main pages

- [Home: map, timeline and remembrance wall](https://victimsofthewall.com/)
- [All 140 people, in the order they died](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/)
- [Visit the places: memorials to the victims, with a map and routes](https://victimsofthewall.com/places/)
- [About this site, sources and corrections](https://victimsofthewall.com/about/)
- [Where the sources disagree](https://victimsofthewall.com/where-the-sources-disagree/)
- [Corrections log](https://victimsofthewall.com/corrections/)
- [Deutsche Ausgabe](https://victimsofthewall.com/de/)

## The 140 people

- [Ida Siekmann (1902–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/siekmann-ida.md): Died trying to escape
- [Günter Litfin (1937–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/litfin-guenter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Roland Hoff (1934–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hoff-roland.md): Died trying to escape
- [Rudolf Urban (1914–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/urban-rudolf.md): Died trying to escape
- [Olga Segler (1881–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/segler-olga.md): Died trying to escape
- [Bernd Lünser (1939–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/luenser-bernd.md): Died trying to escape
- [Udo Düllick (1936–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/duellick-udo.md): Died trying to escape
- [Werner Probst (1936–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/probst-werner.md): Died trying to escape
- [Lothar Lehmann (1942–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/lehmann-lothar.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dieter Wohlfahrt (1941–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wohlfahrt-dieter.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Ingo Krüger (1940–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/krueger-ingo.md): Died trying to escape
- [Georg Feldhahn (1941–1961)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/feldhahn-georg.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dorit Schmiel (1941–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schmiel-dorit.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Jercha (1934–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/jercha-heinz.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Philipp Held (1942–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/held-philipp.md): Died trying to escape
- [Jörgen Schmidtchen (1941–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schmidtchen-joergen.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Klaus Brueske (1938–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/brueske-klaus.md): Died trying to escape
- [Peter Böhme (1942–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/boehme-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Horst Frank (1942–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/frank-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Peter Göring (1940–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/goering-peter.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Lutz Haberlandt (1938–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/haberlandt-lutz.md): Died trying to escape
- [Axel Hannemann (1945–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hannemann-axel.md): Died trying to escape
- [Erna Kelm (1908–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kelm-erna.md): Died trying to escape
- [Wolfgang Glöde (1949–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/gloede-wolfgang.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Reinhold Huhn (1942–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/huhn-reinhold.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Siegfried Noffke (1939–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/noffke-siegfried.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Peter Fechter (1944–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/fechter-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Hans-Dieter Wesa (1943–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wesa-hans-dieter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Ernst Mundt (1921–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mundt-ernst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Günter Seling (1940–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/seling-guenter.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Anton Walzer (1902–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/walzer-anton.md): Died trying to escape
- [Horst Plischke (1939–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/plischke-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Otfried Reck (1944–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/reck-otfried.md): Died trying to escape
- [Günter Wiedenhöft (1942–1962)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wiedenhoeft-guenter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Hans Räwel (1941–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/raewel-hans.md): Died trying to escape
- [Horst Kutscher (1931–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kutscher-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Peter Kreitlow (1943–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kreitlow-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Wolf-Olaf Muszynski (1947–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/muszynski-wolf-olaf.md): Died trying to escape
- [Peter Mädler (1943–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/maedler-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Siegfried Widera (1941–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/widera-siegfried.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Klaus Schröter (1940–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schroeter-klaus.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dietmar Schulz (1939–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schulz-dietmar.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dieter Berger (1939–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/berger-dieter.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Paul Schultz (1945–1963)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schultz-paul.md): Died trying to escape
- [Walter Hayn (1939–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hayn-walter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Adolf Philipp (1943–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/philipp-adolf.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Walter Heike (1934–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/heike-walter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Norbert Wolscht (1943–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wolscht-norbert.md): Died trying to escape
- [Rainer Gneiser (1944–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/gneiser-rainer.md): Died trying to escape
- [Hildegard Trabant (1927–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/trabant-hildegard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Wernhard Mispelhorn (1945–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mispelhorn-wernhard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Egon Schultz (1943–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schultz-egon.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Hans-Joachim Wolf (1947–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wolf-hans-joachim.md): Died trying to escape
- [Joachim Mehr (1945–1964)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mehr-joachim.md): Died trying to escape
- [Unidentified fugitive (?–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/unidentified-fugitive.md): Died trying to escape
- [Christian Buttkus (1944–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/buttkus-christian.md): Died trying to escape
- [Ulrich Krzemien (1940–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/krzemien-ulrich.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Peter Hauptmann (1939–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hauptmann-peter.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Hermann Döbler (1922–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/doebler-hermann.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Klaus Kratzel (1940–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kratzel-klaus.md): Died trying to escape
- [Klaus Garten (1941–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/garten-klaus.md): Died trying to escape
- [Walter Kittel (1942–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kittel-walter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Cyrus (1936–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/cyrus-heinz.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Sokolowski (1917–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/sokolowski-heinz.md): Died trying to escape
- [Erich Kühn (1903–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kuehn-erich.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Schöneberger (1938–1965)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schoeneberger-heinz.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Dieter Brandes (1946–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/brandes-dieter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Willi Block (1934–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/block-willi.md): Died trying to escape
- [Jörg Hartmann (1955–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hartmann-joerg.md): Died trying to escape
- [Lothar Schleusener (1953–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schleusener-lothar.md): Died trying to escape
- [Willi Marzahn (1944–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/marzahn-willi.md): Died trying to escape
- [Eberhard Schulz (1946–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schulz-eberhard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Michael Kollender (1945–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kollender-michael.md): Died trying to escape
- [Paul Stretz (1935–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/stretz-paul.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Eduard Wroblewski (1933–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wroblewski-eduard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Schmidt (1919–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schmidt-heinz.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Andreas Senk (1960–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/senk-andreas.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Karl-Heinz Kube (1949–1966)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kube-karl-heinz.md): Died trying to escape
- [Max Sahmland (1929–1967)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/sahmland-max.md): Died trying to escape
- [Franciszek Piesik (1942–1967)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/piesik-franciszek.md): Died trying to escape
- [Elke Weckeiser (1945–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/weckeiser-elke.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dieter Weckeiser (1943–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/weckeiser-dieter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Herbert Mende (1939–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mende-herbert.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Bernd Lehmann (1949–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/lehmann-bernd.md): Died trying to escape
- [Siegfried Krug (1939–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/krug-siegfried.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Horst Körner (1947–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/koerner-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Rolf Henniger (1941–1968)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/henniger-rolf.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Johannes Lange (1940–1969)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/lange-johannes.md): Died trying to escape
- [Klaus-Jürgen Kluge (1948–1969)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kluge-klaus-juergen.md): Died trying to escape
- [Leo Lis (1924–1969)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/lis-leo.md): Died trying to escape
- [Christel Wehage (1946–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wehage-christel.md): Died trying to escape
- [Eckhard Wehage (1948–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/wehage-eckhard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Heinz Müller (1943–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mueller-heinz.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Willi Born (1950–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/born-willi.md): Died trying to escape
- [Friedhelm Ehrlich (1950–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/ehrlich-friedhelm.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Gerald Thiem (1928–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/thiem-gerald.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Helmut Kliem (1939–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kliem-helmut.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Hans-Joachim Zock (1940–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/zock-hans-joachim.md): Died trying to escape
- [Christian Peter Friese (1948–1970)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/friese-christian-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Rolf-Dieter Kabelitz (1951–1971)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kabelitz-rolf-dieter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Wolfgang Hoffmann (1942–1971)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hoffmann-wolfgang.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Werner Kühl (1949–1971)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kuehl-werner.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Dieter Beilig (1941–1971)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/beilig-dieter.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Horst Kullack (1948–1972)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kullack-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Manfred Weylandt (1942–1972)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/weylandt-manfred.md): Died trying to escape
- [Klaus Schulze (1953–1972)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schulze-klaus.md): Died trying to escape
- [Cengaver Katrancı (1964–1972)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/katranc-cengaver.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Holger H. (1971–1973)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/h-holger.md): Died trying to escape
- [Volker Frommann (1944–1973)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/frommann-volker.md): Died trying to escape
- [Horst Einsiedel (1940–1973)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/einsiedel-horst.md): Died trying to escape
- [Manfred Gertzki (1942–1973)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/gertzki-manfred.md): Died trying to escape
- [Siegfried Kroboth (1968–1973)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kroboth-siegfried.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Burkhard Niering (1950–1974)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/niering-burkhard.md): Died trying to escape
- [Czesław Jan Kukuczka (1935–1974)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kukuczka-czesaw-jan.md): Died trying to escape
- [Johannes Sprenger (1905–1974)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/sprenger-johannes.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Giuseppe Savoca (1968–1974)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/savoca-giuseppe.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Herbert Halli (1953–1975)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/halli-herbert.md): Died trying to escape
- [Çetin Mert (1970–1975)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/mert-cetin.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Herbert Kiebler (1952–1975)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/kiebler-herbert.md): Died trying to escape
- [Lothar Hennig (1954–1975)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/hennig-lothar.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Dietmar Schwietzer (1958–1977)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schwietzer-dietmar.md): Died trying to escape
- [Henri Weise (1954–1977)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/weise-henri.md): Died trying to escape
- [Vladimir Ivanovich Odintsov (1960–1979)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/odintsov-vladimir-ivanovich.md): Soviet soldier shot at the border; the study counts him with, but separately from, the people with no intention to escape
- [Ulrich Steinhauer (1956–1980)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/steinhauer-ulrich.md): East German border soldier killed on duty
- [Marienetta Jirkowsky (1962–1980)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/jirkowsky-marienetta.md): Died trying to escape
- [Peter Grohganz (1948–1980)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/grohganz-peter.md): Died trying to escape
- [Dr. Johannes Muschol (1949–1981)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/muschol-dr-johannes.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Hans-Jürgen Starrost (1955–1981)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/starrost-hans-juergen.md): Died trying to escape
- [Thomas Taubmann (1955–1981)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/taubmann-thomas.md): Died trying to escape
- [Lothar Fritz Freie (1955–1982)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/freie-lothar-fritz.md): Killed with no intention to escape
- [Silvio Proksch (1962–1983)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/proksch-silvio.md): Died trying to escape
- [Michael Schmidt (1964–1984)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schmidt-michael.md): Died trying to escape
- [Rainer Liebeke (1951–1986)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/liebeke-rainer.md): Died trying to escape
- [Manfred Mäder (1948–1986)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/maeder-manfred.md): Died trying to escape
- [René Gross (1964–1986)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/gross-rene.md): Died trying to escape
- [Michael Bittner (1961–1986)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/bittner-michael.md): Died trying to escape
- [Lutz Schmidt (1962–1987)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/schmidt-lutz.md): Died trying to escape
- [Ingolf Diederichs (1964–1989)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/diederichs-ingolf.md): Died trying to escape
- [Chris Gueffroy (1968–1989)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/gueffroy-chris.md): Died trying to escape
- [Winfried Freudenberg (1956–1989)](https://victimsofthewall.com/victims/freudenberg-winfried.md): Died trying to escape

## Optional

- [Complete text of all profiles and articles](https://victimsofthewall.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Course of the Berlin Wall in 1989, GeoJSON (Geoportal Berlin, dl-de/zero-2.0)](https://victimsofthewall.com/data/berlin-wall-1989.geojson)
- [Victim data as JSON](https://victimsofthewall.com/data/victims.json)
- [Original biographies on Chronik der Mauer](https://www.chronik-der-mauer.de/en/victims/)