Bergfelde Watchtower
The Bergfelde Watchtower is a former border command post hidden in a reforested area near Hubertussee in Hohen Neuendorf, north of Berlin. It now serves as a memorial to Joachim Mehr and other victims who died attempting to cross the border in this area.
Joachim Mehr was 19 years old when he was shot by border guards on 3 December 1964 while attempting to flee to West Berlin near Bergfelde. He was one of at least three people killed in this section of the border, where dense forest on both sides created the illusion that escape might be possible.
Eingang mit Gedenkstele und Fotos des ehemaligen Grenzwachturms. (Photo: Jannette)
The watchtower itself is a standard GDR border observation post (Beobachtungsturm), one of hundreds that lined the Wall and inner-German border. After reunification, most were demolished, making the surviving examples increasingly rare. The Bergfelde tower was preserved by the Deutsche Waldjugend, an ecological youth group that uses the structure as a base for nature conservation activities.
Memorial markers along the Berlin Wall Trail near the tower commemorate the victims. The surrounding area has been reforested and is now a nature reserve, though traces of the border installations can still be found in the landscape.
Gedenkstele an die Berliner Mauer und Grenzwachturm (Photo: Jannette)
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