Brown metal information panel outlining the history of Tunnel 57, Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Strasse, Berlin, Germany
As the Berlin Wall evolved into a more formidable barrier, escapees from the east turned to tunnelling beneath the surface of Berlin, the tunnels often being dug from west to east. This German-English information panel outlines the history of Tunnel 57. The English translation reads: 'One of the most famous escape tunnels was Tunnel 57, named for the number of people who reached the West through it. It began in a cellar at Bernauer Strasse 97 and continued beneath the border strip to the courtyard at Strelitzer Strasse 55. On two nights in October 1964, fugitives crawled through the tunnel to the West. During the second night, members of the secret police became alerted. When their suspicions proved correct, they returned with several border soldiers to stop the operation and arrest the fugitives and thier helpers. There was an exchange of fire with the armed escape agents in the courtyard during which Sergeant Egon Schultz was accidentally killed by a ricochet bullet fired from one of the border soldier's weapons. The secret police and the SED leadership, however, made it seem as though the deadly shot had been fired intentionally by one of the escape agents. The truth was not discovered until after 1989.' The photographs show both a commemorative plaque being dedicated to Egon Schultz, 4 January 1965 and the entrance to Tunnel 57 in the back courtyard at Strelitzer Strasse 55, the markings indicating the path of the tunnel (broken line), the position of Sergeant Egon Schultz (1), of a man from the secret police (2) and the entrance to the tunnel (3).
Size: 1712px × 5138px
Location: Tunnel 57 Information panel, Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Strasse, Berlin, Germany
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 57, berlin, bernauer, border, cold, die, escapees, escaping, fluchtbewegung, german-english, germany, historic, history, information, language, memorial, monochrome, multi-lingual, panel, photographs, strasse, tunnel, tunnelers, tunnelling, wall, war, west
