How many people escaped over the Berlin Wall?

Around 5,000 people are estimated to have successfully crossed the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989.

The methods of escape were extraordinarily varied and often ingenious. In the early days, when the Wall was still barbed wire and cinder blocks, people jumped from buildings along Bernauer Straße whose front doors opened into the West. Others swam across canals, crawled through sewers, or simply sprinted through gaps in the fortifications.

As the Wall became more sophisticated, so did the escapes. People built tunnels, the most famous being Tunnel 57 (57 escapees in 1964) and Tunnel 29 (29 escapees in 1962, filmed by NBC). Others hid in modified cars with secret compartments, fashioned hot-air balloons, or used zip lines strung between buildings.

Some of the most daring escapes involved vehicles. In 1963, an East German soldier drove an armoured personnel carrier straight through the Wall. Others converted small cars to fit under the barrier arms at checkpoints.

The ingenuity of escape attempts is documented in detail at the Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie, which houses many of the actual devices used, including a modified suitcase, a hollowed-out surfboard, and the homemade hot-air balloon gondola.

Not all attempts ended well. At least 138 people died trying to cross, and many more were injured, captured, or imprisoned. The East German government sentenced those caught attempting to escape to years of hard labour.