Invalidenstraße

A former border crossing at Sandkrugbrücke bridge over the Berlin-Spandau Shipping Canal (Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal). Numerous escape attempts took place here, including that of Günter Litfin, who was shot dead. A memorial stone was erected to commemorate him.
Nearby: Memorial stone for Günter Litfin, “Sinkende Mauer”, Berlin Wall History Mile

The canal crossing here was the site of numerous daring escape attempts, as East Berliners tried to swim or wade across the waterway to freedom. The most famous attempt was that of Günter Litfin, who was shot dead by transport police on 24 August 1961 while trying to swim the canal – the first person killed by gunfire at the Berlin Wall.

A memorial stone for Günter Litfin stands on the western bank of the canal, near the site of the former Sandkrugbrücke border crossing. Nearby, the “Sinkende Mauer” (Sinking Wall) sculpture by Karl Biedermann shows a section of wall gradually disappearing into the ground, symbolising the wall’s legacy fading but never fully vanishing. The Berlin Wall History Mile also passes through here with information boards.

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