Bernauer Straße
Encyclopedia
Bernauer Straße is a street of Berlin
situated between the localities of Gesundbrunnen
and Mitte
, today both belonging to the Mitte borough
. It runs from the Mauerpark
at the corner of Prenzlauer Berg
to the Nordbahnhof
. The street's name refers to the town of Bernau bei Berlin
, situated in Brandenburg
.
When Berlin was a divided city, the Berlin Wall
erected in 1961 ran along this street. Bernauer Straße became famous for escapes from windows of apartment blocks in the eastern part of the city, down to the street, which was in the West. Several people died here when the border was first enforced.
sector of West Berlin
the entrances and windows of the houses on the southern side were successively bricked up by the East German border guards
and access to the roof was blocked. On 22 August 1961 Ida Siekmann
became the first casualty at the Berlin Wall: she died after she jumped out of her third floor apartement at no. 48. By autumn 1961, the last of these houses had been compulsorily emptied and the buildings themselves were then demolished from 1963. For the ten people known to have died trying to escape in the area of the Bernauer Straße, there is a memorial tablet at the entrance to Swinemünder Straße.
Escape tunnels were also dug under the wall in the Bernauer Straße. In 1962, one came out in number 7 Schönholzer Straße. 29 East Berliners of all ages crept along the tunnel to West Berlin, unnoticed by the border guards. The NBC News
documentary film
The Tunnel
was a visual account of that operation. Another tunnel ended in number 55 Strelitzer Straße (in the East) and, over two nights in October 1964, 57 East Germans managed to escape. However the action was detected and ended with shots exchanged between the border guards and the tunnel diggers. Egon Schultz, a border guard, was killed and thereafter stylised by East German authorities as a martyr murdered on duty by western smugglers. The access to the files after the 1989 Wende
revealed that he was killed in a fire exchange hit by bullets from friend and foe.
The street was also the first location of Rainer Hildebrandt's Mauermuseum, before moving to Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
.
The dismantling of this stretch of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the first time that British soldiers
(62 Transport and Movement Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport and Royal Engineers) based in the British Sector had worked directly with the former East German army. Heavy Goods Vehicles belonging to the transport squadron were provided to carry sections of the concrete wall away to an area near to Potsdam.
After the Wall came down, Bernauer Straße was the location of one of the longer preserved sections. Part of it was turned into a memorial park in 1999 with a recreation of actual border fortifications. Germany's official 50th anniversary commemoration were held here on 13 August 2011.
Meanwhile, the street has been rebuilt as a main road including a tramway
line. However, few of the cleared plots at the southside have been built-up again.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
situated between the localities of Gesundbrunnen
Gesundbrunnen
Gesundbrunnen is a locality of Berlin in the borough of Mitte. It was created as a separate entity by the 2001 administrative reform, formerly the eastern half of the former Wedding district and locality...
and Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....
, today both belonging to the Mitte borough
Mitte
Mitte is the first and most central borough of Berlin. It was created in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by the merger of the former districts of Mitte proper, Tiergarten and Wedding; the resulting borough retained the name Mitte. It is one of the two boroughs which comprises former West and...
. It runs from the Mauerpark
Mauerpark
Mauerpark is a public park in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district. The name translates to "Wall Park", referring to its status as a former part of the Berlin Wall and its Death Strip...
at the corner of Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
to the Nordbahnhof
Berlin Nordbahnhof
Berlin Nordbahnhof is a railway station in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and local bus and tram lines.-History:...
. The street's name refers to the town of Bernau bei Berlin
Bernau bei Berlin
Bernau bei Berlin is a German town in the Barnim district. The town is located about northeast of Berlin.-History:...
, situated in Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
.
When Berlin was a divided city, the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
erected in 1961 ran along this street. Bernauer Straße became famous for escapes from windows of apartment blocks in the eastern part of the city, down to the street, which was in the West. Several people died here when the border was first enforced.
History
As the street itself belonged to the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sector of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
the entrances and windows of the houses on the southern side were successively bricked up by the East German border guards
Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic
The Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic, in German Grenztruppen der DDR, were a military force of the GDR and the primary force guarding the Berlin Wall and the border between East and West Germany. The Border Troops numbered at their peak approximately 47,000 troops...
and access to the roof was blocked. On 22 August 1961 Ida Siekmann
Ida Siekmann
Ida Siekmann was the first person to die at the Berlin Wall.-Biography:Ida Siekmann was born in Gorken near Marienwerder . She had moved to Berlin and lived at 48 Bernauer Strasse in the center of Berlin.After World War II, Berlin was divided in four Allied sectors...
became the first casualty at the Berlin Wall: she died after she jumped out of her third floor apartement at no. 48. By autumn 1961, the last of these houses had been compulsorily emptied and the buildings themselves were then demolished from 1963. For the ten people known to have died trying to escape in the area of the Bernauer Straße, there is a memorial tablet at the entrance to Swinemünder Straße.
Escape tunnels were also dug under the wall in the Bernauer Straße. In 1962, one came out in number 7 Schönholzer Straße. 29 East Berliners of all ages crept along the tunnel to West Berlin, unnoticed by the border guards. The NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Tunnel
The Tunnel (NBC documentary)
The Tunnel was a 90-minute black-and-white documentary film that chronicled how three West Berlin university students organized the escape of 59 friends and family members by digging a tunnel underneath the Berlin Wall...
was a visual account of that operation. Another tunnel ended in number 55 Strelitzer Straße (in the East) and, over two nights in October 1964, 57 East Germans managed to escape. However the action was detected and ended with shots exchanged between the border guards and the tunnel diggers. Egon Schultz, a border guard, was killed and thereafter stylised by East German authorities as a martyr murdered on duty by western smugglers. The access to the files after the 1989 Wende
Die Wende
marks the complete process of the change from socialism and planned economy to market economy and capitalism in East Germany around the years 1989 and 1990. It encompasses several processes and events which later have become synonymous with the overall process...
revealed that he was killed in a fire exchange hit by bullets from friend and foe.
The street was also the first location of Rainer Hildebrandt's Mauermuseum, before moving to Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie Museum
The Checkpoint Charlie Museum is a museum in Berlin. It is named after the famous crossing point on the Berlin Wall, and was created to document the so-called "best border security system in the world"...
.
The dismantling of this stretch of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the first time that British soldiers
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(62 Transport and Movement Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport and Royal Engineers) based in the British Sector had worked directly with the former East German army. Heavy Goods Vehicles belonging to the transport squadron were provided to carry sections of the concrete wall away to an area near to Potsdam.
After the Wall came down, Bernauer Straße was the location of one of the longer preserved sections. Part of it was turned into a memorial park in 1999 with a recreation of actual border fortifications. Germany's official 50th anniversary commemoration were held here on 13 August 2011.
Meanwhile, the street has been rebuilt as a main road including a tramway
Berlin Straßenbahn
The Berlin tram network is the main tram system in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the oldest tram networks in the world having its origins in 1865 and is operated by , which was founded in 1929. It is notable for being one of the largest tram systems; there are 22 tram lines operate across a...
line. However, few of the cleared plots at the southside have been built-up again.